Which Sonic game to play?

Josey Wales

I'm currently trying to decide what game I want to play next. I've just finished up with Kingdoms of Amalur and am now in the mood for a platformer. I have both Sonic Generations (360) and Sonic Colours (Wii) in my backlog. Both seem to have been well received.

So which one should I play first?

Stylesclash07

I finished playing generations about two weeks ago couldn't put it down great sonic game. I'm not a fan of 3d sonic but the 3d levels were great and the 2d were like being a kid again reminded me of the old ones loved it

Retr0gamer

I'd go with Generations because of the 2D levels. The 3D levels in both games are better than previous efforts but they still have a lot of the flaws from previous sonic games, deaths due to scripting errors, un-sign posted pitfalls (a flaw of the 2D levels as well but in that case they hide poor level design by literally signposting them) and wonky homing attack etc.

Neither are anywhere near as good as the Megadrive games. Still worth your time.

Azure_sky

Sonic 2. Still the best.

chopperbyrne

Azure_sky wrote: »

Sonic 2. Still the best Sonic game to be released before Sonic 3 & Knuckles

FYP

Josey Wales

I started playing Sonic Generations for a little while earlier. I'm not really feeling it right away. I've never played a Sonic game with 3D levels before and I didn't like it at all. The 2D levels that I played were all right. I'll stick with it for a while and see how it goes.

Myrddin

Azure_sky wrote: »

Sonic 2. Still the best.

This. Every other Sonic game is inferior to its mastery

the groutch

Sonic Spinball albeit a bit short

calex71

Does it have to be sonic????? Generations if so, if not Rayman Origins is worth a look if you need a platformer.

Also Sonic 4: Episode I + II are in the deal of the week sale on xbox live this week for a combined 1000 points (less than half price) nor sure what they are like but have an eye on picking them up myself.

Myrddin

the groutch wrote: »

Sonic Spinball albeit a bit short

:eek:

GreenWolfe

calex71 wrote: »

Does it have to be sonic????? Generations if so, if not Rayman Origins is worth a look if you need a platformer.

Also Sonic 4: Episode I + II are in the deal of the week sale on xbox live this week for a combined 1000 points (less than half price) nor sure what they are like but have an eye on picking them up myself.

I picked up the PC version of Sonic 4 Ep: 1 in a Steam sale a while back. It's hard to describe it, but the physics are all wrong. Haven't played it since I got it.

Myrddin

EarthlyPangaea wrote: »

I picked up the PC version of Sonic 4 Ep: 1 in a Steam sale a while back. It's hard to describe it, but the physics are all wrong. Haven't played it since I got it.

Beautiful looking game, but the physics & movement is way off. They havn't been right in a long time in any recent Sonic game either

richymcdermott

sonic generations is a good way to start but sonic colours is just as good imo

cloud493

Sonic generations is superb. Highly recommended.

Josey Wales

calex71 wrote: »

Does it have to be sonic????? Generations if so, if not Rayman Origins is worth a look if you need a platformer.

Also Sonic 4: Episode I + II are in the deal of the week sale on xbox live this week for a combined 1000 points (less than half price) nor sure what they are like but have an eye on picking them up myself.

I guess it doesn't have to be Sonic. They were just the two choices I had in my backlog. I actually played through Rayman Origins about two months ago. Really enjoyed it but got frustrated towards the end. Never actually got to the end of it.

Myrddin

Are the classic Sonic's still available on the 360 Marketplace? 1,2, 3 & Knuckles & you've basically everything covered

Retr0gamer

There's also Sonic CD up there as well. I'm not a big fan of it but some people reckon it's the best Sonic game and the port is absolutely superb.

Mr.Saturn

I just finished Generations last week, I really enjoyed it. I'm still iffy on a final verdict, as I dunno if it's really great, or I'm just relieved playing a good new Sonic game for the first time since I booted up Sonic Adventure(yes, I loved Adventure. Ropey camera, dodgy voice-acting and all acknowledged). Yes, it's got some remnants of Sonic Team's bad habits of the last decade, such as random deaths and whatnot, but I've found them to be few and far between, and didn't remotely hinder my enjoyment of the game.

I'm going to pick up Colours next week, been waiting for a while, but got Generations on a cushy trade, so that came first. It looks gorgeous, and judging by a lot of what I've read, it plays very well too. Can't wait.

Retr0gamer wrote: »

There's also Sonic CD up there as well. I'm not a big fan of it but some people reckon it's the best Sonic game and the port is absolutely superb.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_FmADVggCk

N64

I know this is going a bit off topic but a few years ago, I decided to play Sonic 1 on the mega drive and I hated it. I found the level design to be horrendous and the controls were frustrating.

Maybe its because I grew up on the SNES?

Myrddin

N64 wrote: »

I know this is going a bit off topic but a few years ago, I decided to play Sonic 1 on the mega drive and I hated it. I found the level design to be horrendous and the controls were frustrating.

Maybe its because I grew up on the SNES?

The level design is wonderful, the music is brilliant, the gameplay is crisp, the colours add to the design & character of every level. The game is a masterpiece of 16bit code...& todays efforts still fall short in replicating it

cloud493

In your opinion :pac: I think most 2D sonic's are ****e. In fact, the only one I recall enjoying is one of the gameboy advance ones.

Mr.Saturn

cloud493 wrote: »

In your opinion :pac: I think most 2D sonic's are ****e. In fact, the only one I recall enjoying is one of the gameboy advance ones.

It wasn't Sonic the Hedgehog:Genesis by any chance, was it?

cloud493

No, since I'm fully aware of how bad that was game was meant to be

Retr0gamer

cloud493 wrote: »

In your opinion :pac: I think most 2D sonic's are ****e. In fact, the only one I recall enjoying is one of the gameboy advance ones.

I found the GBA ones to be really poor. Terrible level design with lots of deaths due to psychic bottomless pits.

As I keep saying Sega and Dimps need to look back at how the old games worked. The danger was never in the fast sections, if you missed a jump in a fast section more than likely it would just send you on a different path through the level. The real danger was in the slower sections.

Glico Man

the groutch wrote: »

Sonic Spinball albeit a bit short

Sorry? Never heard of it. Don't think it exists...

>_>

<_<

o1s1n

N64 wrote: »

I know this is going a bit off topic but a few years ago, I decided to play Sonic 1 on the mega drive and I hated it. I found the level design to be horrendous and the controls were frustrating.

Maybe its because I grew up on the SNES?

Your username automatically makes everything you subsequently type invalid.

cloud493 wrote: »

In your opinion :pac: I think most 2D sonic's are ****e. In fact, the only one I recall enjoying is one of the gameboy advance ones.

It is the general consensus between the 'opinion' of the vast majority of people who play videogames that the 2D Sonics are among some of the greatest games ever made.

You can have your own opinion alright, it's still wrong though.

cloud493

If the internet can teach us anything, its that even the 'vast majority' of people can be totally totally wrong :pac:

the groutch

aaronh007 wrote: »

Sorry? Never heard of it. Don't think it exists...

>_>

<_<

Retr0gamer

cloud493 wrote: »

If the internet can teach us anything, its that even the 'vast majority' of people can be totally totally wrong :pac:

Says the Killzone 1 fan :P Make of that as you will.

penev10

I'm always surprised by the levels of devotion the Sonic games seem to elicit. I've nothing against Sonic but, having grown up during the 16-bit era, at the time they never seemed to cut the mustard or be taken entirely seriously.

The first game got a meagre 79% in Mean Machines iirc (who regularly handed out 90%+ to anything half-decent) and was cited as being ridiculously easy and all style over substance. I couldn't help agree with that verdict then and now.

The sequel did fare better but it was released after Super Mario World! How could Sonic 2, which could be completed on your first session, ever survive in the shadow of such a deep and involving rival.

The franchise was old hat by the time 3 came out. I don't think it sold all that well either (relatively speaking).

Was it a younger generation (whose memories are of the only game on their older brother's console they could actually play) that has helped forge this series' legacy as one to behold? Perhaps Sega were 20 years ahead of Nintendo in aiming their mascot at the, now fertile, under-10s market?

Retr0gamer

penev10 wrote: »

The sequel did fare better but it was released after Super Mario World! How could Sonic 2, which could be completed on your first session, ever survive in the shadow of such a deep and involving rival.

Well in a lot of peoples opinions no other platform game comes close to matching Super Mario World. It doesn't mean that all other platformers are crap. Sonic 2 is no where near as good as SMW but it's still an amazing game. As for the Mean Machines review, that's just the opinion of one reviewer and while I think the first Sonic game isnt as amazing as some people think it's still very good.

Then there's the fact that Sonic games are too easy, which is a moot point considering Sonic games are built to be replayable with multiple routes through each level to discover.

penev10

Retr0gamer wrote: »

Well in a lot of peoples opinions no other platform game comes close to matching Super Mario World. It doesn't mean that all other platformers are crap. Sonic 2 is no where near as good as SMW but it's still an amazing game. As for the Mean Machines review, that's just the opinion of one reviewer and while I think the first Sonic game isnt as amazing as some people think it's still very good.

Then there's the fact that Sonic games are too easy, which is a moot point considering Sonic games are built to be replayable with multiple routes through each level to discover.

I wouldn't disagree with anything you've said there. I wasn't trying to poo-poo the Sonic games outright - I'm just surprised by the love they still receive despite, in my memory, their reception at the time of release.

I cited the Mean Machines review as it was the only balanced one (there were no console magazines with an adult target-audience at the time, ZERO and ACE covered consoles a bit but they were PC/Amiga-centric) and their sentiments seemed to echo what my contemporary peers felt.

I like the Sonic games, they have a certain charm and are aesthetically quite impressive at times, but the reverence they command is out of proportion.

Retr0gamer

What I don't understand is the love people have for the Sonic Adventure games. In retrospect they aren't that great.

richymcdermott

Well for me personally sonic was the first game i ever played and was the reason i play games , it holds a nostalgic feeling where me and my dad knew secret passage, ever hidden ring were and the easiest way to collect all the chaos emeralds.

The fact i can go back to the game and like mario can still be played without being felt lie it aged badly shows the two iconic game characters were truly masterpieces. I was never a mario guy but i could easily appreciate the games.

On the other hand im a sonic guy , on his good days and bad because it holds a place in my gaming heart

wampyrus77

i wish for once they put sonic twin sister Sonia and twin brother Manic into a sonic game

Myrddin

penev10 wrote: »

I'm always surprised by the levels of devotion the Sonic games seem to elicit. I've nothing against Sonic but, having grown up during the 16-bit era, at the time they never seemed to cut the mustard or be taken entirely seriously.

Well in gaming, its always important to remember that not every game is for everyone. I for example have no time for certain very well established games & IP's. Some games totally go over my head, while I love certain others that others may not. Simply put, vintage Sonic just might not be for you

The first game got a meagre 79% in Mean Machines iirc (who regularly handed out 90%+ to anything half-decent) and was cited as being ridiculously easy and all style over substance. I couldn't help agree with that verdict then and now.

It never ever ceases to amaze me, how people let reviews colour their own perceptions about a given game. I couldn't give a flying fukc what some blokes musings are on a game...I play it & make my own mind up. For sure there is worth reviews, but I'd never take them as gospel. Saying Sonic 1 only got 79% in Mean Machines means absolutely nothing.

The sequel did fare better but it was released after Super Mario World! How could Sonic 2, which could be completed on your first session, ever survive in the shadow of such a deep and involving rival.

Certainly it was mascot versus mascot, but they're two completely different types of games. Super Mario World is nothing short of a masterpiece, but Sonic 2, whilst being nowhere near as deep, is also a masterpiece of 16bit game design in its own right.

The level design is really beautiful, if you take your finger off the right d-pad button for a few secs & actually go explore the levels. Sonic never interested me as a speed-run game, it was always finding new paths & exploring that appealed to me. If you slow it down, you'll see how well its put together.

The music also deserves a mention. Every single Zone has a timeless & instantly recognizable anthem of very very very good music. Chemical plant zone, Greenhills, Mystic Cavern, Sky Fortress...I could hum any one of them from memory.

The franchise was old hat by the time 3 came out. I don't think it sold all that well either (relatively speaking).

Again game sales figures don't necessarily speak for quality. I'm sure the John Madden games of the era sold in their droves :rolleyes: But yes, Sonic 3 didn't have quite the charm that the others did. The graphic design changed somewhat from 3 onwards, not for the better in my opinion.

Was it a younger generation (whose memories are of the only game on their older brother's console they could actually play) that has helped forge this series' legacy as one to behold? Perhaps Sega were 20 years ahead of Nintendo in aiming their mascot at the, now fertile, under-10s market?

Well I grew up gaming on an Atari 2600 & then onto a C64...so it's certainly not a young generation thing. If anything, the garbage that passes for Sonic games today seems to be enjoyable to people who didn't necessarily grow up during 'the golden era' of 16bit gaming.

As I said, it simply isn't for everyone...but then again, no game is