#a lot of this comes from other sonic cd levels because a lot was likely repurposed

[aisuhex]

Sonic CD Dubious Depths

[morkitten]

I have finally started playing Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) for the first time

I've been having a good amount of fun with it!! I knew that it wasn't The Worst Game In The World and that its notoriety came from being such a big, confident release that was so clearly unfinished and rushed. And I also knew I was going to have some fun with it, especially with all the jank, but surprisingly, the unfinishedness of 2006 is not such a big slice of the fun!

It's honestly a *pretty alright game* all things considered, especially compared to Heroes or Shadow the Hedgehog, which are think are definitely less fun. It's clearly trying to iterate and put its best foot forward on a lot of ideas that were being played with by prior entries of the franchise, like trying to figure out how to create more depth with the combat, for instance.

I couldn't forgive it back then for its misguided tone and visual direction, but now I see it as growing pains of an early title of that generation. They were trying to figure out, as many other developers were, how would their game look in the new hardware, how to set it apart. Some games went with the horrid brown filters and lots of bloom, and Sonic went with a visual direction that unfortunately furthered the uncanny disparities of these cartoon animals next to things that were not... as cartoony. And obviously, they didn't have the time to get further acquainted with the new technology and figure out a better art direction. But now that we're far away from Sonic 2006 and I don't have to worry that Sonic is heading towards a direction that seemed to disregard everything that I loved about Sonic games, and can see it from a wider lens, I have more sympathy towards what the developers were trying to do.

If the game didn't look like it did, it's possible I wouldn't have had an issue with its tone and story at the time... It's possible I even would've had no issues with Princess Elise, even! I see what the dynamic they're going for is, which is kinda what Amy was in Sonic CD, they want a character that isn't a hero to be cared for and inspired by Sonic's heroism and character. A character that doesn't feel like they can do all the things that Sonic can do, who wishes had Sonic's carefreeness and strength, that loves Sonic for all that they feel they can't be. And then Sonic moves on, because he can't stay around, and Sonic going away helps them understand that they can embody these traits themself, and rely on their own strength as they move forward with their life.

But Sonic Team was, at the bare minimum, very misguided into not addressing the uncanniness inherent with Elise and Sonic together, in believing that Elise would instantly communicate that appeal, that the relationship between the two would be obvious and accepted quickly. And then not stopping at the adoration and letting her kiss him, while Amy's right there, unreciprocated, and donning all the appeal, acceptance and history to the character, while Elise has none of it, and worse, the uncanniness makes people have this image that she's a grown woman kissing something between a child and a pet animal.

But imagine this, imagine if Elise was highly stylized and looked cute and appealing next to Sonic, and looked younger, rather than an adult. Even if she was still a human and not an animal person (though the latter would certainly help). Imagine if she didn't get to kiss him and was just a crush that Sonic accepted but didn't reciprocate, like how a school teacher treats a student's crush - something they'll grow out of, but hoping to instill something positive in them, to be a good role model for them, until then. I think that's probably the kind of feeling the developers wanted people to have with Elise, and I think that would've worked okay.

And when it comes to the game itself… The stages are long but I don't feel as tired as I do with Sonic Heroes, for instance. The levels have a good amount of variety of things to do in them, and go through many different beats, which helps them feel not so tiringly long as in Heroes, for instance.

But ofc, stuff doesn't always work like the level design intends it to, which leads to some minor frustrations, but that's the keypoint here: All the frustrations I've felt with the game so far are weirdly minor, & I think this is why it's such a popular game to stream, it's like Baby's First Kusoge: It has the appeal of a Kusoge or a Bakage (weird shit and behaviors happening, getting killed for comical reasons) but without the enormous frustrations that comes with a lot of Kusoge - Sonic 2006 isn't a hard game or a very punishing one. Lose all your lives? You just re-do the level you were on. You don't even lose lives in the hub world! And most of the times you die that are "not your fault" are funny and fun, especially if you're passing the controller with a friend, or are doing it on stream.

All the ways in which it is clearly unfinished are amusing and obvious, without feeling like torture. For someone who hasn't ever played a Sonic game, esp in 3D, it could be that it's way more frustrating, as they're still figuring out a lot of the language and inherent troubles with the "genre" of "3D Sonic", which it is a pretty unique kind of game that doesn't quite exist outside of the franchise, so it could be that part of its huge Bad Game legacy comes from the pains of people who are still figuring out "how to play a Sonic game" exponentially compounded with fighting the jank of 2006.

Once you understand that, you also understand why there are so many Sonic fans who "defend 2006", who say it would've been "a great game" if it was properly polished. I looked down on people who said that, but now having played it, I completely understand where fans like that are coming from - There have been several levels that I hadn't really died or ran into big issues with, because I've played Sonic games a lot before. But if I didn't instinctively know what the level wanted out of me in split-second decisions, it's possible I would've eaten dirt and ran into huge jank while I was at it. A lot of Sonic fans probably have a much smoother experience playing the game and can see the intent of the game more clearly. And, you know, a fan *did* make an excellent argument as to "how good" Sonic 2006 could've been with more polish: An argentinian dev known as ChaosX remade a lot of the game in Unity, adding a bunch of new features, fixes and improvements, and it's a really fun game as a result!

Honestly, what really, truly brings Sonic 2006 down besides the obvious fact that it's a rushed and unfinished game, why people don't feel comfortable calling it an "Adventure 3", is that 2006 lacks the qualities that truly elevate the first two Adventure games. After all, it's not like those games don't have their shares of jank and misguided decisions, even if there's less of it than here. What elevates SA1 and 2 is that they have big, cool moments with characters people love, they have Live and Learn and Open Your Heart, they have an attitude and energy to them that's so captivating. Sonic 2006 doesn't quite have that, as much as it's trying to make you remember the Adventure games as you play it.

SA1 establishes all the characters' personalities, it has Tails learning to be self-reliant, Knuckles learning his past, the entire plot with Gamma, SA2 has Sonic saying his final words to Tails and Amy, it has Rouge and her dynamic with Knuckles and Shadow, it has allll the Shadow stuff, and Sonic's rivalry with him. Sonic 2006 has a lot of returning characters, but they don't get to do much, or have big moments that develop them further. All that it has are the new characters, so it really is a game for if you're a big fan of Elise, Silver or Mephiles, I guess.

Sonic 2006 is just a bit too sterile, and doesn't capture that energy that makes Adventure 1 and 2 so well-liked. It's a game that can be funny on purpose, but that's mostly on the wacky NPCs. Oh yeah, did I tell you about Soleanna? It's a pretty fun hub world, and through its people and missions, they really want to impart the feel that Soleanna is a character all of its own, with its history and culture, and throughout the game, I did get a little bit endeared and cozy by it, which is exactly what a hub world should be like. At least the New and Old cities, the Forest area is just very barren and without purpose.

[blingusdlingus]

The Start of the Post-Modern Sonic Era

As time passes... Sonic Frontiers feels unreal to me. I still feel the psychic ripples that game made in the minds of thousands. Hearing about the physics nonstop. the buzzwords echoed in my brain for months... the rips at the English script-writing. It drove me to near madness. It was hard talking to people who weren't as deep in it as I was at that time... But I look back these days and I can't help but feel like the madness was exactly what I wanted. I can't make peace with this game like many others have, but I can't hate this game, I can't act like I'm indifferent to it. It did something to me that I can't dissect into a science. I don't feel like it's fair to try and categorize the feelings I have about it's writing into the set of ideals I've made for what I want these characters to be. I can't rule this one out... it broke the stagnant mold for me. An "Open-Zone" Sonic game with hyper-realistic environments, patch-worked with floating platforms and rails in the sky, janky camera movements and overtly flashy attacks for an unbalanced combat system, reused level design for one minute stages, hamfisted self-referential dialogue that had me groaning at points, a narrative that felt spread thin and disjointed, answering questions that didn't need answering. And it didn't even have Momentum. And yet... it is everything to me. AND NOW FOR THE CHILDHOOD HISTORY OF BLINGUS For the 20 years I've been alive, about 18 of those years I have spent with this deeply rooted attachment to Sonic. I was deeply fortunate as my cousin and my half-brother both had a Genesis with each of their own collection of games respectively, which of course, meant a lot of Sonic games. I was also gifted with having two brothers, who I dubbed as "the one with the GameCube" and "the one with the PS2". From age 2 (2006) to age 6 (2010), I had already created formative memories with the following: Sonic 1 Sonic 2 Sonic Underground Sonic 3D Blast Sonic Rush Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood Sonic Spinball Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine Sonic Heroes Sonic CD Sonic Adventure DX Sonic X Shadow The Hedgehog Sonic Rush Adventure Sonic Riders Sonic Unleashed Sonic Colors

These aren't even counting the games and shows I had learnt of online as a child who ABSOLUTELY shouldn't of been on the internet at such a young age but I digress. I just want to highlight the sheer amount of Sonic I took in in that time-frame. I think this chapter in my life planted the ideals that I hold to this very day, even throughout the madness. The problem is that... I don't even truly know what those ideals are. As I've grown I've played these games countless times, along with every game coming out after. I read the comics, I watched the shows, I got invested into the rom-hacking scene, and from there, the Fangame scene. My life changed and grew and my opinions of these games have shifted time and time and time again. Those roots never grew dry for me though, and I feel as if I owe my young self a lot for making memories with these games. Maybe it's a fear of losing innocence? It could be because I'm autistic as fuck? Maybe it's just love. Love for what these games represent for me, Love for what could've been. Loving it for what it is, what it was, loving it because people made it and that's all that matters. Loving to draw it, to find why others love it, and to open my mind to interpretation. Loving it to hate it, to write about it and talk to your friend's about it. To find out what made it tick, what's been lost over the years and how it's found again. Loving it because Super Sonic is raw as fuck and Shadow likes nu-metal hell yeah Oh yeah this was about Sonic Frontiers Well okay yeah the game is kinda mid but It's raw as hell and it's representation of growth and change is as prevalent in the narrative as it is in the eyes of the people. It made a ripple. Did Sonic Lost World make a ripple? Yes it did you fucking asshole

[spinningbuster98]

Sonic the Hedgehog CD Part 1: Sonic CD is sponsored by Marty McFly

Oh boy, now we’re getting into some spicy territory!

My history with CD is...complicated

Unlike the other Classic titles, while I was exposed to this one at around that same time thanks to the Sonic Gems Collection, I never played it quite as much due to...reasons that will become quite clear in future parts. It’s only with the release of the Whitehead version years ago that I truly dived into this game

So let’s start with the best and most obvious parts

Firstly: the opening and closing cinematics are literally some of my favorite pieces of animation ever. (Well the uncompressed versions anyway, ‘cause the Sega CD was what it was). Not just because they’re animated beautifully but because they feature what is, to me, the gold standard of Sonic’s body language.

This Sonic is quick, adventurous and fun loving when he’s zooming around, but dead serious and determined once he notices Eggman’s effect on Little Planet

But most of all: he’s cool. He’s effortlessly cool in the way he runs around and toys with badniks, while at the same time still retaining a cutesy side to him to remind you that this is still a light hearted and fun loving cartoon character

While I’m not one of those people who thinks that Sonic should never talk (specifically Classic), there is a case to be made on how in just a few minutes’ worth of animation CD is able to tell us literally everything there is to know about Sonic’s character without having him utter a single word while the Storybook games had to devote hours long narratives to get the point across. It also further lampshades just how backwards Sega’s recent handling of Classic as a character has been, focusing completely on his cutesy side while completely neglecting his cooler one, or at least downplaying it, while one of the main reasons for the switch to Modern was because they feared that Classic was being perceived as too cute by fans at the time, but whatever that’s a topic for another time

From a graphical standpoint...yeah this game is above and beyond the best of the classics, both in general spritework (though bosses in Sonic 3 actually look better, but that might just be due to that game having actual bosses that look more imposing in general), color variation, level of detail and artstyle, which is without even mentioning the way that the game manages to tell a simple yet subtle narrative through its backgrounds but I’ll focus on that at a later time

But personally I’ve...actually never been head over heels for these graphics unlike everyone else, mostly due to a personal thing, since Sonic game move so quickly it’s usually hard for me to really focus on background details and whatnot, which isn’t helped by the one thing you’ll be looking at the most, Sonic’s sprite, pretty much being ripped straight from Sonic 1 and looking so out of place compared to the rest of the game. But again: it’s not a knock against the game, it’s just me

Musically I...think it’s good, it’s certainly the most varied and smartly utilised soundtrack in the Classic games (or even in the whole series) due to how each track ties very well to the feel of not only each Zone but also each era, but personally? When it comes to Sonic music I tend to prefer more upbeat, fast paced tracks. CD’s OST is much slower and usually pretty calming and atmospheric, which works very well for what it’s trying to accomplish, it’s just not what I personally prefer to hear in a Sonic game (and yeah I’m talking about the JPN score, it’s been ages since I’ve listened to the US tracks)

On the other hand however I like all of the vocal tracks

Sonic Boom was the first I was introduced to and it still sounds great, but over time I also gained a lot of appreciation for You can do anything. The lyrics are really cheesy and are bordering on nonesense half the time, but I like the energy it has

My absolute favorite however is Cosmic Eternity. I really wish more people would talk about this one because this is, and I’m not kidding here, one of my favorite Sonic songs in general. Right up there with the likes of Open your Heart, Live and Learn and What I’m Made of. It’s just so upbeat and uplifting, it fits both this game’s happier aspects and Sonic’s character like a glove, the latter more in the sense that it sounds like something that Sonic would sing someone to cheer them up

[lobyuslucas]

Talking about my musical choices for Splatoon 4 and what I wanted for the next game in this franchise

General context:

The music from Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 in multiplayer:

An undeniable fact is that Splatoon would probably be better off in the hands of SEGA directors, taking into consideration Jet Set Radio and most of the Sonic games, just seeing the soundtrack of both games that fit into Multiplayer and Story Mode, since Rock with Sonic Adventure to Jazz punk and acoustic instruments with Sonic Unleashed and Sonic Colors, or even more ambient music and the totally surreal sounds of Hero Mode, with Hideki Naganuma's Sounds in Jet Set Radio. Even more so, the urban culture theme of Jet Set Radio would be perfect for Splatoon 4, as this is not as well explored and seen in Splatoon 2

Pizza Tower Soundtrack:

In addition to the Goofy sounds and good rhythms, a sound like "Bye Bye There" being the final farewell to humanity and to Splatoon 1 itself would be ideal to replace the same massive plot of Idol songs played at every holy end of the game. The Noise Update Soundtrack for Salmon Run fits Salmonids' Spicy Little Gremlins personality, perhaps "World WIde Noise" would be a great theme for Salmonlings if we get that one day

Jet Set Radio/Bomb Rush Cyberfunk in Hero Mode:

"The Concept Of Love" is a good choice to be in the style of "Shark Bytes" and "Hide and Sleek" but much more punk, "Sneakman", "Fly Like A Butterfly" and "Teknopathetic" are good to play in confrontations against Rival Octolings (Although I wanted more of Inklings and Octolings in general, without the cliche of Rival Octoling Hair, which would be good to have available as available hair for an Octoling), and some separate aspects as something for more nocturnal activities , like "watchyaback!" and "Electric Tooth Brush", something in the style of "Nine Out Of Tension" and "Tentacular Circus", as well as "Right There, Ride On", sounds for stages with a focus on Ink Rails being something like "Ride Of Fry", as well as "Feel The Funk", and other specific things

Most memorable areas:

Some songs from Sonic CD I included because I wanted more memorable areas, this would serve to make the hero mode more memorable, just like Sonic was a classic era, it would bring more memories to those who play the game, that's why songs like "Metallic Madness" or "Spring Yard", something that was variable where each sector has its specific challenges and its focus that could vary between puzzles, speed, quick thinking or just stopping to appreciate the level design

Agent 4 and his "Endless Possibilities" :

Most people are probably thirsty for Agent 4 in the next Splatoon, I'm the type who compares Agent 3 with Shadow, so such an emotional sound for a final battle like "Endless Possibilities" would be perfect for a face-to-face fight against Agent 4, especially considering what this song is about

The Idols of the next game:

I thought a lot about a group of 4 idols, to finally be able to put at least two men to break the standard of women, in addition to putting more songs from that party atmosphere with Funky rhythm like something like "Soda City Funk" and "Next To Me " as the main theme, in addition to electronic breakbeat rhythms from Hideki Naganuma for Turf Wars such as "GET ENUF" and "Never 4ever", or even classic video montage types. EXE" such as "YO-KAI Disco" and " Radical City: Living In The City" (by the way, Sonic R's OST would be a good inspiration as it is this fast and energetic House Music). My choices come from the fact that I wanted an aesthetic that ranges from POP of the 90s and EDM of the 2000s, with its members inspired by classics from those times.

Bands in general:

We would probably have a continuation of Punk Rock, but I would prefer something more Industrial Rock, a style of music more like "Boarder 70" and "Rhythm and Balance... for White Jungle". There could be exploration of genres such as Breakbeat with acoustic Jazz instruments, such as "Windmill Isle" and "Sweet Mountain", Big Band as in the Team Fortress 2 OST but more similar to the community remixes. The band "Chirpy Chips" could adopt a style from Scott Pilgrim's OST or HI-FI Rush, and could expand these genres to remix the already famous songs in Splatoon

...if I have the option to have Octoling Rival Hair, I'll be happy enough

[greenjokwe-blog]

Monthly Greej Media (February 2024) - Month of Scrambling

Sometimes I forget that February is the shortest month. Even when it's a leap year (which I only just barely noticed happened this year), a single day can be the difference for me on whether or not I write about something here or not. Especially this month, where I decided that I would take up several long media properties... while also not having the dedication to go through them at a constant rate to actually get close to finishing them. It's been a weird month.

Because of this, there isn't going to really be much in terms of video games for me to talk about. There's a few films I want to cover (and some I'm probably gonna save for a later point... again... maybe), but truth be told there isn't actually that much interesting in terms of new games for me, unless I wanna parrot what I wanna say last month (played a lot less of those two games though, even). I was going to have two shorter games beaten by the end of the month, but I was only able to beat one of them in times for this. There's a good chance that if I don't decide to talk about the other game next month though, I'll just make a short post about it at some point.

The one game I JUST managed to finish, is Earthworm Jim: Special Edition for the Sega CD.

I've been pretty public about my enjoyment of the Earthworm Jim series for a while, but I think I'm not as vocal about how my enjoyment basically EXCLUSIVELY comes from Earthworm Jim 2. Specifically the Genesis version, which was the one available on the Wii Shop Channel, but any of the non-GBA ports are good. Learning about the Special Edition was wild to me, which I had previously had no idea existed, as my general EJ1 experience mainly came from attempts to play the original Genesis version and falling off after a couple of levels... and replaying the old demo on the apple store on my old iPod Touch back in the day (which I'm 90% sure that version is lost media now?). Anyway, hearing about the "superior" Sega CD version of the game made me curious, and as someone who has never really beaten a game for the Genesis addon before (the closest example is Sonic CD, and that was the updated Whitehead rerelease), I thought it'd be a fun idea to boot this version up. I'm glad I did, cuz this definitely heightened my opinion of the game.

There's a lot of reasons why the Special Edition is the superior version of the game, from beautiful animations and visuals (which, when testing around with CRT Filters via Reshade like I have for the past month, are EXTREMELY visually impressive and basically look HD), an improved soundtrack, and just generally more content and levels. What I think absolutely sells it though, is that the overall game experience is just BETTER here, compared to the other version. Obviously nicer visuals and sound will do numbers in terms of making the game feel better to play, but I'm mainly talking about the game's flow and pacing itself.

Level order has been changed, new levels add a more interesting difficulty curve than the previous versions, and there are new secrets to find, including all-new secret paths that are not only loaded with rewards for the betterment of play but are just generally better than what was in the original game, it's a vastly better experience. Don't get me wrong, there's definitely some stuff here that's kinda stinks up the experience (that last level especially can blow me), but compared to how I previously viewed this game? It's much better now. I still wouldn't consider the first Earthworm Jim better than the second one even with this version, like a large portion of people (mainly... what I'd describe as "oldheads" but I mean this is Earthworm Jim we're talking about) seem to believe, but I at least get the logic when people believe that. Also like, Earthworm Jim 2 is one of the most creative platformers of all time so it's like, kinda hard to beat that. What went from a difficult recommendation from me went to something absolutely worth checking out.

But uhhh... Yeah that's it for video games. Like I said earlier, there's a little bit more to talk about for films this month, so I guess I'll start with... uhh... So uh... Oscar season is happening, right? I wouldn't really be able to tell for myself but from what I've heard 2023 has been a good year for movies, so I decided to make it fun for myself and make sure this year I've seen at least half of the best picture nominees before the show starts (not really that hard, but I've never done it before). It succeeded, although I'm still debating as to whether or not I should watch some of the others as well to make it fun for myself (namely Killers of the Flower Moon and Anatomy of a Fall). I thought it was a good time, while the film was just barely still in theatres over here, to watch one of them on a brand fancy new screen at a local theatre. That film, of course... was Poor Things.

Oh boy.

Oh boy.

This ones gonna be... difficult to talk about for me, for a large, LARGE variety of reasons. One of which I might cover in a future blog post, but let it be known that I did NOT expect the kind of movie this was when going in. I knew about the sex symbolism, for sure, but to the level that it was...

OK, I just wanna say that I do appreciate what the films going for. It's weird. Weirdest film I've seen in theatres, and by far the most adult. And a lot of the subjects in this film are not being discussed at all! It dares to actually talk about shit like how women get taken advantage of by men and patriarchy, the conditions of sex work, and the failure of society to not protect women who aren't seen as perfect or exhibit traumatic responses in the real world! However, the actual result of these subjects being discussed... eh...

I will say that it does get the some of the points across well by the end, the second half manages to do a good job of making sure it's messages are sent. Although at this point... the film feels like it kinda needs to come to a halt to do so? A little? Also there are some implications here and there... weird one to chew, not sure how well some of these are gonna be seen generally, sometimes feels contradictory sometimes it lands perfectly into its message about women's choices. But overall, I still think I'm glad I saw this film, even if it made me feel like that one scene in Taxi Driver (even though I saw it alone). Weird and interesting, glad to support this kind of cinema, even if I don't know whether or not it'll grow on me as time goes on or I'll just start to resent it more. We'll see I suppose.

The last film I saw before the Oscar's was one I decided to watch at home, and that was The Zone of Interest.

Holyyyyy. What a film. I'm gonna be very short about this one because I feel like this is a film you need to experience for yourself but put simply: A film with pure vision. Pretentious arthouse indie cinema used as malice. Abhorrently aesthetic-focused to its favour. Exists only within frame but ALWAYS vividly presented outside. A film with a very clear, ageless message that defies all conventions to proceed, but still feels especially required and relevant in the current climate. A one-note experience, but that note is an unforgettable drone that lasts long after viewing. Perfect cinema. It's also the weaker of the two Jonathan Glazer films that I've seen. How the fuck does this man do it.

But yeah... Jesus. That shit bummed me out. A great experience, but a drowning one. Anyone want a pick me u- oh god damnit.

Saw this at the beginning of the month, so my review is gonna be a bit hazy, but I do think it says a lot about me that this was the film that I enjoyed the most out of everything I have seen so far this year. This year being y'know. The past two months. Not in terms of releases this came out in 2016. Whatever.

God this film is sad. It's so fucking sad. Manchester by the Sea is a film that should not be watched unless you are either currently depressed or ready to be depressed. However, that being said, it also manages to be such an realistic portrayal of suffering and grief that I absolutely fell in love with it. The film not only looks beautiful but feels it as well. I've heard complaints ranging from that it glorifies trauma or that it represents it's symptoms as "personal failings", but I think it rounds around to me to represent something truly human and honest with itself. There are the occasional times in a couple of scenes where it takes the safe route of modern storytelling for my liking, and there's definitely other issues (mainly the sound design, if you know you know), but there are few films that feel as groundedly sad and wonderful as this one does. Even if it's extremely sad and bittersweet, there's something reflective I got from this film that almost made me feel... Weirdly satisfied? Very strange thing to say, I'm aware, especially if you've seen the film and know what I'm talking about. Maybe I just like movies set in Boston Massachusetts. But god damn... what a film. Highly recommend if you can handle fucked up dark trauma films.

Anyway, last up, music!!! Still not a lot to say here, so I think I'm just gonna post the chart and dip I think. A couple of these were new listens for me (aside from Friko being a brand new release, the Allman Brothers Band and David Kauffman albums were my first time hearing them). A vast majority of them I went back to a few songs often but only just went back to the album now. Some of these I just haven't heard since ages ago. So yeah, that's it. Cya either next month on in an extra post I make in a week or so, we'll see what happens first.

[hater-of-bad-sonic-stories]

Sonic 4 was 🗑️ 🗑️ 🗑️

Not the review I promised, but that's coming next eventually! Once again, this was inspired by darkqueenofshadows85, who makes great reviews of various Sonic media!

So I was going through my older digital downloads when I saw the Sonic 4 logo, and remembered it was a game that existed. I don't remember how I felt about it at the time, but it wasn't a game I went back to often.

This game seemed like a perfect comeback game for the classics that concluded in S3&K, the game that would save the series from the "awful" Dark Era Hell: the numbered title, a seemingly more modernized take on the classic gameplay, homing attack added, no characters except Soni - wait, what?!

This was a huge part of its marketing: each day, more and more other characters would be rejected until the end, leaving only Sonic. I wasn't around for the marketing at the time (otherwise I would have likely passed this game), but looking back, it's weird: why would they advertise having LESS content than CD and 2??

Also, Tails isn't even named! WTF?!

Another thing to be noted is that it, not Colors, was the actual start of what many call the "Meta Era". Despite everything, it wasn't 4 that saved the series in the eyes of consumers, but Colors (more about that in my next review).

Over a decade later, how is Sonic 4 Episode 1? It's bad.

The presentation is shit, it looks very low budget. Some purists complained that it used the modern model, but that's not a problem for me (other 2D games used it and looked fine) but this just looks bad. Nothing really looks like it belongs. And the animation isn't much better, it looks really stiff and weird. The music is pretty bad, even the ones that are better composed are weighed down by the instruments used in a sad attempt to imitate the Genesis/Mega Drive sound.

This is the worst offender: it's just annoying! Imagine scraping the bottom of the barrel and remixing a beta unused version of a 3D Blast track and then making it even worse!

Much better, and this is far from my favorite!

A lot of that could be forgiven if the gameplay is good like the classics, right? Maybe a decent plot?

The plot is nothing, it's basically "Eggman does bad thing. Sonic must stop him." Moving on to the real shit...

The gameplay is garbage, the zones are all rehashed/ripped off from earlier zones, just with a new terrible gimmick most of the time that only detracts from the gameplay. Much has been said about the physics and how bad they are already - they try to hide it by sometimes throwing enemies that simply serve as Homing Attack chain fodder and it doesn't work. All it does is highlight how little the levels have going for them. Because of the stiffness of the game, any sense of speed is miniscule at best.

So we've established this game has basically no redeeming qualities and is not a game for basically anyone. Is Episode 2 any better? The improvements are:

Better graphics

Better physics

Tails is there

Some new, original content

While better than Episode 1, it's still not really worth your time.

[unlimitedtrees]

thinkin about 'Evil Mode' from 'Among the Others' , my last rom hack

so, after beating sylvie lime yesterday ,it got me thinkin about silly precision platformers and kaizo stuff ... U see , despite me being a Sonic CD-loving freak , i do like to play trial and error crazy platformers , such as N++ and celeste some other games im too lazy to think about right now . i just. like a fun and silly challenge sometimes. However , as i established in me last post , i am a Picky Bitch when it comes to platformers and i tend to prefer the controls and movement of the classic sonic games compared to every other platformer out there . i just Love the unique movement and interactions u have with environment in stuff like Sonic CD ... its something that no other game feels like and is something ive always wanted to see be experimented with in something like a kaizo sort of game .. but it hasnt really been done much before aside from a kaizo sonic rom hack that i thought handled the level design Very Poorly ..

there is also a rom hack named Sonic VR which i Really Really like ... but im probably gonna save that for its own post , teehee !!

Anyways. along with Sonic VR being a Huge Inspiration for me , and also seeing all those crazy kaizo mario hacks over the years , its something i wanted to try making myself for a Long, Long time . and well ... i finally got the chance in 2018, with my rom hack named 'Among the Others'.

so. Among the Others was a rom hack of Sonic 1 that i made. there is a Lot of history behind it that i wont get into for this post , but basically it was supposed to be my final, ambitious rom hack that eventually got cancelled and then i put a wall of text at the very end complaining about the rom hacking community. i then released it to the sonic hacking contest and then left the community .. but a few months before the contest begun, i still had a bunch of free time and the main game was already complete, so i decided to just add a bunch of random extra stuff just because .. and in the end there ended up being a Lot More content for a game that Was Technically unfinished...

one of the thing i added into the game was the secret 'Evil Mode' , something which not many people have played and is what im gonna get into in this post ... click da Read More thingy if u Dare !!!

So , in the level select (which u can just access by using the normal Sonic 1 level select code) , there are 3 evil mode levels in the game. these are basically extra levels based off the normal levels in the game, except these are completely redesigned to be Very Difficult and Evil. i wanted to make a sort of kaizo like thing ,where u have to get past all sorts of Deranged challenges that take advantage of the unique controls and movement of this game (which, btw, in case u dont know, this game has special abilities unique to it that make the movement Very Crazy , Lol !!).

There Is One Big Problem However... and it has to deal with the limitations of Making A Sonic ROM Hack When You Are Just A Dumb Little Creature Who Does Not Understand Assembly Programming.

You See, designing kaizo levels for a sonic rom hack is way more difficult than you may think. there comes a lot of Limitations to making sonic rom hacks that, combined with my limited skill, made making these levels very Annoying and Difficult to Create.

First Off, the game can only handle so many objects on screen. Which, well, i Suppose is fine. after all, im sure that's the case with mario world rom hacks. But In The Case Of A Sonic ROM Hack ... Well . Not only are you limited by having few sprites on screen, but you Also are limited by how many Types of objects can be in a level. You See.. all of the artwork for the objects are loaded in by 'pattern load cues'. each zone in the game has their own table which lists all the artwork thats loaded in ,including the level art and all the art for all the objects . not only was i limited by how Much art could be loaded in a single zone .. but Also i was limited by My Ability To Program. i could Not understand how the pattern load cues worked At All. getting objects from One Zone to work in Another Zone was Nearly Impossible for me ... idont know how to describe this fully. Basically , Most of the time , i could Not bring over another object from another zone Unless it used the same amount of tiles as an object from the current zone .. if that makes sense. idont know. All I Know Is ... I Was Greatly Limited by What objects i could use , and that's on Top of worrying about having too many objects on screen .

But That's Not The End Of It. you also have to worry about objects just. Disappearing in the game. sometimes , an object will just Not Load In and i have No Idea Why. i dont understand how any of it works .. all i know is that i was Unable to fully rely on building the level out of objects ,as id constantly have to worry if an important object would Unload , making progressing in the levels difficult.

because of all this , i was Severely Limited by how i could design the levels and what hazards i could even make . i couldnt even have too many spikes anywhere like a kaizo mario level ... it was very Limiting . and thats not even getting into the Level Chunks . you see, the levels themselves are also built out of Chunks of 128x128 pixels ,which have all the level art and collision. but i was also limited by How Many Chunks a zone could have , and these zones already were using the chunks from the normal levels which already used most of the chunks .... so i couldnt design much unique areas for these levels ...

despite it all , i tried my best to make levels that would be an interesting challenge ... and u know what. i am Kind Of proud of what i managed to accomplish , especially considering all the limitations i had to deal with. there's Definitely a ton of stuff i wish i couldve done with these levels, and theres stuff i probably couldve done better ,but Damn. playing through these dickish levels is kind of fun sometimes. Lol. i tried my best to make these levels use the physics and unique abilities to their fullest potential ... i just wish i coulda done More with em.

something i am pretty proud of that i think No One has done is playing the evil levels in Encore Mode. you see, in the game there is a secret encore mode that can be accessed by entering '81, 82, 80, 80' in the sound test ... and aside from letting you play as Pepsiman it also gives every level entirely different object layouts, along with new palettes and music. The Evil Mode levels in particular were fun to make Even More Evil , with The Core Zone specifically being made to be Actually Deranged , with its palette being Pitch Black and the evil mode level being Longer than the original one . and ,while i was also a bit limited with making these encore versions as i could only edit the object layouts , they were still fun to make and i am pretty proud of Encore Mode as a whole .

anyways. if you want something insane to go through, try the Evil Mode in Among the Others if you wish. you can download the game and its source code on github, if you wish.

anywayz thats all. there is so much about Among the Others ive ought to talk about .,,,, so much about this game that people dont even know about . maybe someday i can share more about it with you all ....

[h-worksrambles]

Where to start with Sonic the Hedgehog

With the Sonic Movie 2 proving so successful, and two new game releases on the way, there’s likely to be a lot of new people getting into the Sonic fandom for the first time. So, because I’m in the mood to write about Sonic, I decided to give my suggestions for which games to get into the series with. This will go over why I like these games and would recommend them, which one is a better gateway depending on your taste, and what platforms you can/should play them on (I know console limitations mean not everyone has a luxury of choice, but it’s worth comparing versions to give people the best chance to enjoy the series). I’m mostly going to stick to 3 recommendations but I’ll mention a few others. My logic for which games make the best start is based around: -Which ones have good platform availability and are easy to get a hold of. -Which ones I think are just genuinely good games that I don’t have to recommend with an asterisk. -Which games aren’t too hard and have a beginner friendly learning curve. I’m also sticking to the games because it’s the part of the series I know the most about. If you want to start with one of the TV shows or comics, by all means do so. They each have aspects to enjoy. Go with whatever looks good to you. These are just my suggestions. 1. Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Why start here?

You absolutely could start with the 1991 original if you wanted to. But for my money, the sequel from 1992 is a stronger game on most counts, and is just as good, if not better as an introduction. This was the game that introduced Sonic’s best friend and kid-brother figure, Tails, who joins Sonic in most of battles against Dr. Eggman going forward. The two set out to rescue the many animals Eggman has transformed into robots, and prevent him from launching his copyright-violating space station, the Death Egg.

This game game basically takes all the foundations the first game laid down and amplifies them. There’s more levels and they’re all more fast paced, consistently solid and not too hard (except maybe the last one, yeesh). This game also establishes how the Chaos Emeralds will work in all the games going forward, with a downright iconic reward if you put the work in. 2 is still a blast to come back to. If you like 2D platformers and want to see the series’ early roots of popularity, 2 is a great place to start. It’s not as overwhelming as 3 to a newbie but less primitive than 1. Where to play it? Andoid, iOS or all current consoles (from June 23rd) You can play Sonic 2 on Android, iOS or Switch. It used to be on PC but was delisted very recently. It will be back on PC, as well as Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X and their last gen counterparts as part of the Sonic Origins collection on June 23rd. If you’re working with older systems, you can also find it on the 3DS eShop as well as the Sonic Mega Collection on PS2, Xbox and Gamecube. And there’s even more than that. There’s a ton of different ways to play it but for my money, the Android and iOS (with a controller if you have Bluetooth) is a pretty good way to get the most out of it. It has widescreen, extra features, even Knuckles is playable. This version is going to be the basis of Origins’s release, so that may welll become the new best way. Otherwise, go with the mobile version. More like this? Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles, Sonic Mania, Sonic Advance As for where to go from here, the Sonic Origins collection will also feature Sonic 1, CD and 3, all of which I would highly encourage you to check out if you enjoy this one. Especially Sonic & 3 Knuckles, the best of the classic games as far as I’m concerned. There’s also Sonic Mania, an anniversary game which serves as a spiritual succcessor to the 2D classics, on Switch, PS4, Xbox One and PC. It’s a fantastic game in its own right, but check it out once you’ve tried the classics and you’ll get even more mileage out of it once you see what a love letter to the rest of the series it is. You may also consider the Sonic Advance and Rush games on GBA and DS respectively, which build on this game’s 2D platforming routes with more characters and new mechanics. This game is still a key part of the entire franchise’s DNA and I still love it to death. 2. Sonic Adventure

Why start here?

Sonic’s first full 3D outing from 1998 is another fine place to jump onboard. Play as 6 characters, each with their own short campaign, as part of a wider story to save Station Square from Dr. Eggman, as he unleashes an ancient, mysterious monster known as Chaos. A lot of modern fandom culture tends to be very centred around characters more than anything, especially here on Tumblr. If that’s where your interest in the series lies, I would especially suggest starting here. After making the jump to 3D, the series shifted from simple but subtle envoronmental storytelling to more involved stories with fully voiced cutscenes. This game will get you familliar with several of the staples of Sonic’s cast, not just Sonic, Tails and Eggman, but also Sonic’s friendly rival Knuckles the Echidna and his self proclaimed girlfriend, Amy Rose. Combined with how it digs into the backstory of the Chaos Emeralds, this is a great entry point to the world of Sonic. This is also the game that brought Sonic’s gameplay into full 3D for the first time, and overall it does a pretty impressive job. Sonic is fast and nimble, and there’s a lot of fun to be had dashing through the levels or flinging yourself across them with his signature spindashes. However, you also get explorable hub worlds, a pet simulator side quest, and five playable characters other than Sonic with their own abilities and gameplay styles, from treasure hunting in sandbox levels, a puzzle platformer with slight stealth or even a linear run-and-gun. This game is certainly one of the more robust entries as far as content goes, but its everything-and-the-kitchen-sink approach may not be the best starting point for everyone. Its camera, controls and cutscenes do have a degree of the jank of early 3D gaming, and while it’s certainly a bigger package than Sonic 2, I don’t know of it’s quite as polished. Still, if you appreciate variety in your games and you’ve played enough popular games from the late 90s/early 2000s to get used to some of the quirks of early 3D platformers, there’s a lot to love here. Where to play it? PC with mods, or PS3/Xbox 360 As for how to play it, your main modern(ish) options are PC, PS3, or Xbox 360. There’s also a Gamecube port known as Sonic Adventure DX and of course, the Dreamcast original. It’s worth noting that ports of Adventure are extremely controversial, often criticised for bugs and visual downgrades the original didn’t have. The PS3 and 360 versions can get the job done if you have no other options, but if you have the means, I’d suggest the PC version. It has a very active modding community and an easy to install mod loader that not only reformats the game to be more like the Dreamcast original, but also adds tons of quality of life additions the original didn’t have. It’s probably the closest to an Origins style remaster Adventure is going to get for a while. It’s also thankfully not super demanding to run. Most recent PCs and even laptops should run it without too many problems.   More like this? Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Heroes, Sonic Advance If you like Adventure, I recommend going directly onto its sequel Sonic Adventure 2, which is on all the same platforms, (again, go with PC if you can) builds on and streamlines the general structure and gameplay styles of Adventure 1, brings back several of the same characters (plus some new ones) and is even more story and cutscene-heavy than the first. If you have any sixth gen consoles, (i.e. PS2, Xbox or Gamecube) Sonic Heroes, while a tad more unorthodox, has many of the same building blocks as the Adventure games and many of its characters return there. The Gamecube version of Heroes is considered to be the most solid while the PS2 is much more poorly optimised. And, while I already recommended them in the earlier section, the Advance games takes the characters as they look and sound in the Adventure games into gameplay more reminiscent of the series’ roots. If Sonic 2 will sell you on the rock solid fundamentals of the series both visually and mechanically, Adventure will get you used to mood and feel of Sonic. With its varied gameplay, focus on a large cast of characters, and slicker, almost anime-esque aesthetic, and a fantastic pounding soundtrack by Jun Senoue, Adventure is a great summary of what to expect from Sonic. It may not be quite as easy to jump on board with as the classics in my opinion, but its still a worthy entry point. 3. Sonic Colors

Why start here?

Released for the Wii in 2010, this game sees Sonic and Tails travelling to ‘Eggman’s Interstellar Amusement Park’, a theme park in space the scientist is using as a front while he captures and exploits alien beings called Wisps. It’s nowhere near as story and character heavy as Adventure, but much like Sonic 2, this is a nice introduction to the core staples of the series: Sonic and Tails’ friendship, their rivalry with Eggman, and the light theming about saving the environment from an evil scientist (albeit with a sci-fi twist). Sonic has been around for a long time, and has experimented with a lot of different styles, especially after its jump to 3D. Sonic Adventure is a great series introduction, but it’s not quite representative of how the games play today. Colors meanwhile, is a great window into the series’ modern identity. The game plays like a hybrid of platformer and racing game. Sonic alternates between 2.5D sidescrolling platformer sections and more open 3D ones. You still run and jump your way to the goal, but he can also now increase his speed with a chargable boost, or drift around tight corners. When you finish a level, you recieve a rank based on your clear time and score, and you’re encouraged to replay levels looking for secrets and shortcuts to help get the best rank possible. Colors also spices this up with the introduction of the Wisps. Sonic can find these alien creaturesin the levels and harness their abilities for a variety of power ups. These not only look awesome, but are crucial to find the shortcuts you’ll need to get the best paths. In part thanks to this, Colors isn’t quite as fast paced as some of the other games in the series. It’s still a game about going fast at its core, but the game puts a lot more emphasis on platforming, score chasing, and using Sonic’s new abilities to find secrets. As such, it may not be the best starting point if you’re here for that ‘gotta go fast’ spectacle. Fortunately, the fact that it plays a little more like a traditional platformer than something like Sonic Unleashed, helps make it less overwhelming and more welcoming to newcomers. And the loop of chasing those elusive S Ranks feels really satisfying once you get into it. Colors is a compact, polished and very replayable title with plenty of charm. If you’re not really an old school gamer and want to start somewhere a little less retro, this is a great place to get acclimated to modern Sonic gameplay. Where to play it? Wii, DS or all current consoles MAYBE Sonic Colors first came out on Wii, and that’s probably the best place to go if you want to experience it as originaly intended. I would also absolutely suggest trying the version on DS if you can. This was made by a different studio, and is strictly a 2D platformer as a successor to the Sonic Rush games. While I myself haven’t had the chance to play it, I certainly love Rush and I’ve actually seen quite a few fans say they prefer this version to the Wii version. So by all means go for it. That said, the Wii version is pretty old now and you may be eyeing Sonic Colors Ultimate, the remaster from 2021 which is on Switch, PS4, Xbox One and PC. The thing is, much like Sonic Adventure DX, this remaster is...divisive. Not only have the changes to the visuals and music been a point of contention with fans, but it launched in a very buggy state, especially on Switch. It has thankfully been patched since, and if modern systems are your only bet, it should get the job done, though I’d still avoid the Switch version if you can help with it. The remaster will do, but I’d say go for the two original releases if you can.

More like this? Sonic Unleashed, Sonic Generations, Sonic Rush If you like Colors, then I would definitely suggest seeking out the other mainline games Sonic Team released in this timeframe with similar gameplay, or the ‘Boost games’ as fans tend to call them. Specifically, I’d point you to Sonic Unleashed and Sonic Generations. Both of these were released on PS3 and Xbox 360. These console versions are servicable, but Generations has a PC release which can be up-rezzed visually and has an absolutely gigantic modding community. Unleashed meanwhile, has backwards compatibility on modern Xbox consoles which improves the already impressive visuals and (much less impressive) framerate drastically. These games are even more fast paced than Colors and experiment with other gameplay styles a little like Adventure, which may make them slightly less welcoming at first. But once you get your feet wet with Colors, I’d say these two are just as good, if not better. If that high-speed boost gameplay appeals to you, and especially if you liked the DS version, then Sonic Rush and its sequel, Sonic Rush Adventure, the games that inspired the mainline series Boost gameplay, are excellent titles as well. And while Sonic Frontiers looks drastically different, its core essentials (at least control wise) seem to retain a lot of the Boost games’ DNA. In its day, Colors was, alongside Unleashed and Generations, something of a rennaissance for Sonic, and whether you’re looking to keep up-to-date with the latest entries on the series, or go back and explore the roots, Colors will get you on board very handily. And those are all three of my suggestions for where to start with the Sonic series, at least in terms of games. Sonic has been so many things at this point, and in doing so, he’s gained no shortage of fans. In many ways, these three indicate just some of the ideas and styles these games have experimented, and I’ve suggested some contemporaries for each of them. But don’t feel the need to restrict yourself. Just because you started with 2, don’t feel you have to restrict yourself to the classics. Nor should you feel confined to the modern games if you choose to start with Colors. Use this guide to get your foot in the door with the series, but once you’re in, go wild! Pick up whatever games look cool to you. Look for which games feature your favourite characters. Dive in and have a blast. Sonic is a series that has and does mean a lot to me, and right now, the series is in a pretty good place, with the potential to bring in lots of new faces. And if this guide is at least a little useful to any of those newcomers as they venture into a series I love so much, I couldn’t ask for more than that.

[blazehedgehog]

Why is Metal Sonic Kai suddenly operational again (after being destroyed) and burning down Ice Paradise Zone of all places? Knuckles' Chaotix endings are absolutely nonsensical.

Chaotix, like most 32X software, was extremely rushed, and probably shouldn't have even existed at all. There's multiple versions of what went wrong with the 32X, some of them conflicting, but the one I believe in the most is:

After the deal with Nintendo fell through for the SNES CD console, Sony was looking for somebody else to partner with for the Playstation. They had a good relationship with Sega -- Sony Imagesoft was a big publisher for the Sega CD. They had created Sewer Shark, the pack-in game with a lot of Sega CD consoles.

Imagesoft apparently approached Sega of America about building a brand new CD-based console. I guess they did this because Sega of America was the most successful branch of Sega at the time. When Sega of America contacted Sega of Japan about the possibility of this deal, Japan rejected it outright.

But, from the ashes of that thought, Sega of America began to formulate their own plan: why couldn't they just make their own console hardware? Sega of America's CEO, Tom Kalinske, had an idea: what if, instead of making consumers buy a brand new piece of hardware, they just sold an upgrade kit? Something for the existing system, that was cheaper than the other guys? They could undercut the entire market.

That ended up being the 32X. There was just one problem: Sega of Japan was also working on their own hardware at that exact same time. Neither side of the company was talking to the other about what they were doing, because of the well-documented internal war between the two.

When Sega of Japan found out, they were furious. In particular because Sega of America was so far along on the 32X that they had business deals lined up that could not be canceled. The same was apparently true of what Sega of Japan was doing: they were readying the Sega Saturn. Both things were going to come out, one way or another.

The 32X was effectively rushed to market. Sent out to die. It launched in America the day before the Saturn launched in Japan. It lacked the development needed to bring costs down and was priced like a standalone console, destroying its intended market. It had months worth of software, mostly whatever deals Sega of America cobbled together before Japan dropped the hammer.

Close to 70% of the 32X's pitifully small library were games developed in America or Europe, at a time where Japan was dominating the industry. And, of the nearly non-existent Japanese support for the 32X, most of them were ports of pre-existing Sega games, like Space Harrier.

Obviously, the 32X was a disaster. It caused Sega to misfire on the Saturn's launch in America as well, creating a domino effect that probably killed the Dreamcast. It caused Tom Kalinske to resign. In Japan, where the 32X was quietly swept under the rug, the Saturn sold respectably, and lead a short, but somewhat fulfilling life. But elsewhere, the 32X was like Sega got punched in the stomach so hard it damaged their internal organs.

But the short answer to all of this is that even compared to how rushed and under-developed other Sonic games got to be, Chaotix was even moreso. It is a collection of barely coherent ideas hung around the framework of a familiar Sonic game. Top class art direction, fantastic music, but the level design is a nightmare and the mechanics don't make any sense.

I heard recently that was apparently intended to be a Saturn game, but it got flipped and dumped on the 32X. I don't know if that information is true. But, given how rapidly and dramatically we know the game evolved, it wouldn't surprise me if Sega of Japan shoved it out just so they could get away from it. Though it was by some of the members behind Sonic CD, they were not formally part of Sonic Team, and most of them them did not work on any Sonic games after Chaotix.

So yeah. It's a little rough around the edges. It's a D-list Sonic game on a stillborn platform.

[handlesscombo]

thoughts on sonic frontiers so far; got my copy early. spoilers under the cut!

i have at this point played through the first two islands, and just started the third. so i'll first organize thoughts by island, then do overalls afterward.

i will admit my bias: i have wanted (3D) sonic to be good again for so long, and this title has a lot going for it. knowing this, i will be as honest about what doesnt work as i can, and check myself as i go. would love to hear others' thoughts on it as well!

#1: Kronos Island

- THE KOCO. ARE SO BAbie. just need to get that off my chest. love love love them. little bell guys. fit in your arms and so cute and lovable. adore them and WILL be buying plushie as soon as it drops (amazon has a leaked listing for them, i know it's coming). anyway.

- running, jumping, homing attack all feel very smooth; strong sense of forward momentum and physically satisfying. captures the best of sonic gameplay, but does have a learning curve as button inputs for classic mechs have changed. homing attack is mapped to a diff button than jump, for example. but it does honestly feel better and makes room for more varied manuevers than previous games, ie a double jump and homing attack from the ground without jumping prior. gamefeel/controls are solid.

- the paraloop (or cyloop as it is called) is a very fun throwback to nights. love the idea that sonic inherited it from them, so to speak. adds a lot to the core gameplay, not just in combat; useful for solving puzzles, too. very solid addition

- camera is a bit fucky. generally it's fine, but there were instances where it flipped around unhelpfully/clipped through things. will hopefully be fixed in patches.

- architecture is lacking; visuals don't give a strong first impression. feels a bit empty, which is a big problem in a semi-open world game. this does improve later however

- cyberspace levels are going to be a hot-button issue across reviews. the implementation of them as separate from the open world is questionable, and the gameplay feels strangely more stiff than in the rest of the game. unsure why that is. architecturally and visually, i love them -- great lighting and colors, fast-paced, interesting to look at and compare to previous games' levels. familiar layouts mixed with unfamiliar visuals create this disjointed collage of somic's memories, which is the narrative explanation for them. interesting in concept, lukewarm in execution.

- enemy designs are interesting; mechanical, jagged, yet colorful; unlike anything in a prior sonic game. effective at creating an "otherworldly" and inter-dimensional feeling. would compare to how ultra beasts are distinctly unsettling because they don't resemble the pokemon we're used to.

- combat is engaging, but limited; have yet to unlock skills to make it snappier. at its core, however, feels good and almost platinum-esque; addition of strafing, parrying, combo counter adds sense of momentum and adrenaline that should always be present in sonic combat.

- unsure how to feel about the skill tree so far. not gonna comment until ive completed it.

- soundtrack evolves as you complete more of the area, layering in instruments and such. nice touch

- very satisfied with story and characterization. amy feels like her own distinct person and not just "annoying sonic love interest"; the two have really sincere conversations that add nuance to both of their characters. the subtlties are what ive dearly missed about the writing and havent felt since SA2. sonic is sooooo much less quippy and whedon-esque, fucking finally. ian flynn is a capable writer who understands what sonic storylines can be, and i hope they continue to let him helm these projects.

- side note that i love: in the original sonic cd, amy was supposed to be a fortune teller. this was sort of removed/scrapped from her canon over time, but flynn brought it back into the foreground! it's mentioned that she does tarot readings and has strong intuition and ability to empathize with people around her (not in a cringe "i am an empath" way, more like she tries to understand others as best she can and uses that insight for good). i really really like this direction for her character. one of the most impactful comvos in the game so far is with her, and i cant repeat it word for word, but it's about how amy wants to travel the world sharing the love she has for it with others. very sweet

- boss fight was incredibly hype, if a bit repetitive. soundtrack fucks so hard. boss looks like an evangelion, which is funny because sage's jpn voice actor also voiced rei ayanami haha. love the music, the shift into familiar super sonic controls. resembles the finalhazard fight in SA2

#2: Ares Island

- architecture vastly better than the first island; more to look at and crawl through, striking desert clay/cyan/purple/red color palette. the color grading between night and day is striking; amazing what good lighting can do :')

- cyberspace levels are beautiful in this one, reminiscent of sky sanctuary and the skeletal structure of radical highway. the looks continue to impress. gameplay remains a bit stiff

- this island has a mechanical theme to it: most enemies, boss fights , and puzzles are about timing-based precision exercises. i will admit these are my favorite parts of sonic games -- high-speed challenges with timing-based mechanical skill involved -- so i might be too biased in its favor to review it accurately. for my part, however, i will say that i found it snappy, engaging, and streamlined a la bayonetta. very satisfying to nail the timing when fighting enemies. people who dislike fast QTEs may like it less, but on a scale of david cage to bayonetta, they definitely lean into bayonetta, and feel approptiately organic/nice physicality.

- knuckles is my favorite sonic character, so i will say i wanted a bit more out of his convos with sonic. however, i love that flynn is able to combine multiple aspects of knuckles' identity into a consistent portrayal -- he is a warrior, a rival, a friend, an expert on ancient ruins, reclusive, and carries a debilitating loneliness that he cant fight on his own. he is more than previously dumbed-down interpretations of his character, and im very grateful for that. hes a glimpse of the old well-intentioned but gullible and stubborn character he was in s3k and the adventure era.

- boss design and mechanics were much more exciting than the first. soundtrack was equally hype and fucks. the aerial nature of the fight really added some pussy to it. im a professional games journalist

- more sprinklings of lore about the nature of these islands and the implications of their connections to chaos (sa1) and the chaos emeralds, as well as the true nature of the chaos emeralds. really interesting and keeps you guessing. looking forward to how it resolves

#3: Chaos Island

- not enthused about the amount of fog and grayness of this one so far. really hoping it develops more identity visually. kind of muddy, too. downgrade from ares

- mechanical theme seems to be more classic sonic design; lots of 2d segments and old-school spring traps, spikes, so on. waiting to see it develop

- already love the big brother dynamic sonic has with tails. the two are openly affectionate (hugs, etc) and endearing to watch. structurally i expect tails is going to figure out something major abt the tech of the islands, which is why they waited to have him appear until the third island. looking forward to it

Overall

i anticipate that this game is going to consistently score 6.5 or 7/10 at most review outlets. it's good, distinctly stronger in its identity and story than other sonic games, and a refreshing, much-needed change of pace tonally, visually, mechanically. it isn't blowing my mind yet (and i hope it will), but there is a palpable heart and ambition here that has been absent for a very long time.

the game's strongest asset so far is its story and boss/enemy design + combat, imo. the visuals are enjoyable amd striking on ares island, but the first and third would benefit from a rework. gameplay has a solid foundation and feels good

it's important to note that for 3d sonic, the bar has been on the Floor for years. my impressions likely express that whether i wanted them to or not; i do think that it's a valuable discussion, if separate from the game"s overall objective integrity, to unpack its improvements on the franchise. as such, i give you my two overall ratings:

as a sonic game: 8.5/10

as an overall game: 7/10

there u have it. please reply with thoughts if you also have any!!!!!

ps: game of the year because you can draw amogus and cock and balls with paraloops.

[star-scrambled]

do u think there will be a shadow end credit scene like they did for tails ?

Yeah, sure! It’s easily up there as one of the Top 3 most plausible things to happen for the movie’s post-credits scene! I’d also put Metal Sonic as a possibility, however over the past while I’ve become fonder of the concept of us not getting a movie-version of the modern Metal, but instead a Silver or Mecha Sonic comeback, which will either be in this film or the next one. People tend to say that Shadow happening would be “too soon” in the movie universe, and I used to agree, but then I realized some things.

1. What’s between S3&K and SA2 that’s unbelievably important AND would benefit the movie universe? Sonic Adventure. However, the game’s story mainly focuses on Chaos and his relation to Knuckles’ late clan and the Emeralds. “But wouldn’t that be cool to have in the movies!” Oh my gosh- TOTALLY. But....here’s where my next point comes in.

2. We need to look at this from a more general standpoint. Who are the most recognizable Sonic characters to an audience that aren’t huge fans? Chaos is off the table, at least for a main antagonist role, so I doubt they would spend their next movie going full Adventure 1 mode (UNLESS of course they merge the two Adventure games but we’ll get to that). Metal Sonic is, again, pretty highly applicable here. However, again, let’s be realistic. Some people are insisting the next movie will be based on Sonic CD since they “skipped it”, but think about it. Sonic CD isn’t as highly regarded by fans as other games or Sonic media, let alone have most outsiders probably heard of it. Most importantly.....it sounds like a total downgrade to go from an INSANE second movie taking inspiration from multiple sources and introducing TAILS and KNUCKLES amongst other important Sonic things......to a third movie that’s only based on this One Story with characters that seem arguably less cool (NO OFFENCE TO AMY AND METAL I LOVE THEM SO DEARLY). Not saying they wouldn’t work in this universe, because there can totally be a place for them! Basically, what I’m trying to say is, a lot of things in between S3&K and SA2 probably wouldn’t be able to achieve a balance of recognizability to all audiences and an increased level of hype in comparison to the previous movie if they were to drive the entire next film with a source-accurate story (which wouldn’t even happen anyway, as seen in the upcoming sequel).

And 3. I realized that these same people are the one’s that INSISTED that “Sonic movie 2 is for Tails and Sonic movie 3 is for Knuckles” before he was confirmed for the sequel. It didn’t take a genius to piece together that they could make putting both in the same film could work perfectly fine without any clashing, let alone a new fan that’s barely been in the community for a month. If the sequel DID stick strictly to the Sonic 2 game’s source material, it would have direct-to-DVD energy and, at best, do as well as the first movie, but nothing notably better. Also, it would’ve been SO BAD on their part if they were teasing Knuckles through the Echidna in the first film WITHOUT the intention of addressing it in the next two years 😭 I don’t think they can just plonk G.U.N here and not talk about it next time.

Everyone’s gonna wanna see Super Shadow and Super Sonic in an epic final battle NEXT MOVIE (Shadow addition also may give them an excuse to utilize more human characters again, including a movie version of Maria !!), and I think it’d be the best decision to make in order to keep the movie franchise Alive and Successful.

ON A DIFFERENT, ANTI-CLIMACTIC, AND MORE-COHERENT NOTE: If there’s one thing that’s gonna be spoiled immediately when this movie releases as soon as March 30th in a million different countries, it’s who they’ve introduced in the credits. And if it’s Shadow, then BOY is that the one thing I will most likely go to the theatre knowing about.

[crusherthedoctor]

Can we have some unpopular Sonic opinions?

I tried to cram in a lot, so I hope this satisfies you. :P I tried to stick to the ones that I haven't brought up quite as often, since by this point, we all know that I think IDW's storytelling is dire, SA2's story is overrated, X Eggman is an embarrassing portrayal (at least from season 2 onwards), Blaze shouldn't be handcuffed to Silver, Shadow's backstory had issues with or without the Black Arms, Neo Metal Sonic looks silly, etc. But anyway, here we go:

- Knuckles may be tricky to incorporate into plots that don't relate to Angel Island, but making him obsessed with his duties is no better than having him forget about Angel Island entirely.

- I like Marine, and never found her annoying. Oh, I understood what they were trying to do with her, but I honestly wasn't put off by her, and found her Aussie lingo more endearing if anything. Since her debut was during the period in my life where where I couldn't stand Sonic himself, I instead thought he was irritating (and hypocritical) for getting annoyed with her for doing shit he would often be guilty of.

- Silver is just as guilty of being shoehorned into games and plots as the Deadly Six are. Having more fans than the latter is irrelevant, since we're still talking about a character who constantly has to time travel in order to be present.

- Speaking of Silver, if he has to stick around, please do something different with him. They've pulled the doomed future routine multiple times now, and it's been boring every single time. I wasn't interested when it involved Iblis. I wasn't interested when it involved Knuckles drinking the edgy Kool Aid. I wasn't interested when it involved a council of dumbasses... give it a rest already.

- The Tails Doll can work as a mildly creepy thing, with maybe more to it than meets the eye when it's time for a boss fight or what have you. But the memes about him stealing your soul are just dumb, and I thought it was dumb even back in my teenage youth.

- “Eggman is supposed to be clownish!” Yeah, well he's also meant to be a genuine villain with a 300 IQ. These qualities don't have to be mutually exclusive.

- “Sonic is supposed to have attitude!” Yeah, well that's not the same thing as being an absolute cunt. Sonic was only ever meant to come off as having an edge compared to Mario. He was never meant to be a GTA-tier protagonist.

- Rouge is not a villain, and never was a villain. Literally the whole point of her role in SA2 was to reveal that she was working against Eggman and Shadow the whole time, albeit using sneakier tactics to do so. You'd think all those people who exult SA2's story would remember this, but apparently not. She barely even qualifies as an anti-hero, since aside from stealing the Master Emerald, she rarely does anything morally questionable otherwise. She's got a lot more good in her than people give her credit for.

- Captain Whisker is a better Eggman Nega than the actual Eggman Nega. And as far as robot characters in this franchise go, Johnny's design is pretty underrated.

- I don't like Iblis or Mephiles, but I DO like Solaris, and it annoys me that it was out of focus for most of the story due to all the time spent on its less interesting halves. Had they kept the backstory with the Duke and his experiments, and worked from there, I think they could have provided an interesting contrast with Chaos (since Solaris can also qualify as a monster with a sympathetic backstory) instead of recycling the surface level schtick.

- Black Doom may technically be just as bad as Mephiles, Nega, Scourge, Mimic, etc, since he's yet another villain with one-note characterization and fucked over Eggman. But because he never gained a disproportionate fandom, he doesn't annoy me to the same extent. It's easier to ignore him by comparison, and his Dr. Claw voice and face shaped like a lady's delicate part make him enjoyable to mock.

- Likewise, while Lyric is also on the same level as these other villains, it's easier to dismiss him because I was never invested in the Boom games anyway, and being an obvious alternate universe (compared to Sonic X or IDW, which retain the Modern designs and plot elements), it never had an effect on the main series. I also unironically like his design, and if nothing else, at least this snake didn't start a hypnotism fetish across the internet.

- Sally - and the rest of the Freedom Fighters for that matter - have had their importance in the franchise severely inflated. They may have been lucky to be the face of popular media (SatAM and Archie), but they're not these magnificent entities that the game characters are but a speck of dust in comparison to. Having a “legacy” doesn't make them more entitled to shit than any other character, old or new.

- Conceptually, the treasure hunting gameplay is one of the better alternate gameplay styles IMO. But it was let down in SA2 by its one track minded radar (the levels may have been big, but I don't think that would have been an issue on its own if the radar was better). If they brought it back and made it more like SA1's treasure hunting, I'd be all for it, although it would probably be better suited for a spinoff title.

- This goes for a lot of games, but when it comes to 2D, I prefer sprites over models. Not that the Rush models are bad (though the ones in Chronicles sure as fuck are), but the sprites in Mania and the Advance trilogy are just so charming and full of character.

- I actually like Marble Zone. Yeah, the level design is a bit blocky, but I love the concept of an underground temple prison, mixed with lava elements in a zone that otherwise isn't a traditional volcano level.

- I also like Sandopolis Zone. Again, completely understand why it's not the most popular zone around, but I've been a sucker for the Ancient Egyptian aesthetic since childhood (you can thank Crash 3 for that), and Act 1 is visually stunning.

- I prefer the JP soundtrack for Sonic CD over the US version overall... but I also prefer Sonic Boom over You Can Do Anything.

- SA2's soundtrack isn't bad by any means - I love Rouge's tracks, and The Last Scene is one of my favourite pieces of music - but as far as variety goes, it's a step down from SA1's soundtrack.

- If Sonic X-Treme had been released, it probably would have been unenjoyable and confusing. Whatever your thoughts on SA1, it was probably the better option between the two as far as Sonic's first legitimate translation into 3D goes.

- I have no qualms with Modern Sonic and the other Modern designs and characters, but I also fully acknowledge that changing gears from Adventure onwards - and doing it with a great amount of fanfare - was always going to create one of the biggest divides in the fandom, and fans shouldn't act surprised that this happened. The fact that they felt the need to hype up a new design and direction in the first place (compared to Mario, who has mostly been the same since the beginning, with only the occasional minor change with little fanfare) also indicates that they weren't confident enough in Sonic and his universe being the way it was, which often gets ignored by all the “SEGA have no confidence!!!” complaints you see with their recent games.

- Unleashed did not deserve the incredibly harsh reviews it received back in the day... but it doesn't deserve its current sacred cow status either. It had more effort put into it than '06 to be sure, and I can respect that, but much of it was misguided effort, and even if you like the Werehog, you have to admit that the idea came at the absolute worst time. The intro cutscene may be awesome, as is the Egg Dragoon fight, but 2% doesn't make up the entire game. Chip was also quite annoying, and I wasn't particularly sad when he pressed F in the chat at the end.

- On the other hand, while Colours definitely has its shortcomings, and people have every right to criticse those shortcomings, a lot of its most vocal detractors tend to have a stick up their arse about the game because people actually enjoyed it, and it had a gimmick that people actually liked. Yes, it may have been the first game to have those writers everyone hates, but then SA1 was the first game to give the characters alternate gameplay styles and have other villains upstage Eggman, so...

- Forces is absolutely not on the level of '06. It's nowhere close. A game being flawed does not make it the next '06, clickbait YouTubers. Or should I say, the game they want to retroactively apply '06's reception to, since they've been trying hard to magically retcon '06's own quality...

- To echo @beevean, ALL of the 3D stories have their issues. SA1 is probably the most well-rounded of them on the whole, but even that one isn't perfect.

- To echo another opinion, although I do love SA1, I'm not crazy over the idea of a remake, and would prefer them to just take Sonic's gameplay from SA1 and work from there. Because with a remake, you're stuck in a hard spot: Do you keep it the way it is bar the expected graphical upgrades, and risk accusations of not doing anything to actually improve the experience? Or do you try to address past criticisms, and risk the wrath of the fans who will inevitably go on a #NotMyAdventure crusade about it? What people fail to consider is that the Crash and Spyro remakes were accepted gracefully because their original iterations were still unanimously beloved for the most part, whereas SA1 - and especially SA2 - have always been divisive, and have only gotten moreso over the years.

- People take their preferences for the character's voice actors too seriously. I have my own favourites like anyone else, but I don't make a big deal out of it.

- And with fandom voice actors, they usually focus too much on doing a basic impression of their preferred official voice actor, and not enough on the acting. So you end up getting a lot of fan voices who sound like decent impressions of Ryan Drummond or Jason Griffith on the surface, but they sound utterly empty beyond that impression, because there's no oomph or depth to the actual emotions. They think about the actor rather than the character, when it should really be the other way around.

- The thing with Ian Flynn is that he is capable of telling a decent story, and he can portray some characters well. But he's proven time and time again that everything will go off the rails if he's given too much freedom (ironic, given how quick he is to point the finger at mandates when something goes wrong).

- Ian Flynn and Shiro Maekawa are not the only people in the world who are allowed to write for Sonic. I understand that one should be cautious when seeking out new writing talent, but for all the fandom's accusations of playing it safe, they sure aren't in a rush to experiment outside of their own comfort zone.

- And of course, the big one: You don't fix the franchise's current problems by crawling back to its previous problems. It's much more helpful and constructive to discuss the good and bad alike with each of the games. Less “THIS GOOD, MODERN BAD”, and more “This could work, but maybe without that part...”

[maggyoutthere]

I can't believe I actually fINISHED THIS HOLY SHIT-

The chapters are more than 4000 words long combined. I literally never wrote something this big damn. As much as this is supposed to be satire of bad creepypastas, this little shit found its way into my heart. I'll treasure it as probably the best thing I've written, like, ever XD

‼Tws for blood and body horror

First part here

Second part here

Sonic: Battle of Metal and Blood (Part 3 - Finale)

Synopsis: Local teen faces off against whatever is haunting this game and dies(?)

The game took a while to load again.

I was already making backup plans in my head in the case this didn't work. I could always ask people online if anyone had ever known about this game, even get my brother to help me record some clips of it to post on forums and sites. If that didn't work, maybe try and dump the file on my PC? That could be dangerous; if it was making the console crash and restart, I didn't want to know what it could do to my computer.

I was thrown in the same level. Well that was weird. It was the exact same jungle, or at least it looked like it at first. I could tell it was now supposed to be night time since everything had almost a dark blue filter over it, even Tails, who I was playing as this time. The night filter made the level a bit harder since I couldn't see some things properly, but it was still playable. It looked just like any Sonic game from that time, but I knew something was definitely up with it. I just flew over some badniks and made my way across the level (I missed smashing stuff with Amy's hammer so I just tried to escape that level as quickly as possible)

I entered the same clearing, fearing what would happen to Tails this time. Guy was 8, and I doubted SEGA would let their employees just kill off a kid on screen; but again, as far as I knew this game wasn't even supposed to be here. It could've been some unhappy worker or employee gone rogue making a statement. It wasn't helping to be honest. As I followed the exact same route as Amy, I found Metal Sonic again, still stepping on... something. It was too dark to see what it was. It just made squishy and disgusting noises as he pressed his foot on top of it. For an old game, the audio design was pretty unsettling and well done.

I didn't want to get closer to the guy, so I tried flying over him and getting to a checkpoint or something, anything besides confronting that thing. As soon as I made Tails take off from the ground, Metal came flying at him. I almost shrieked as I tried getting the little guy away from that thing, immediately making him land and sprint out of there as fast as possible. In all that panic, I didn't even notice when he tripped over whatever Metal was stepping on and fell on his face. No matter how many buttons I pressed or how hard I pressed them, Tails wouldn't get up. Metal catched up with him and the screen went black as soon as the two collided.

Those same red eyes were back on screen, staring straight back at me. I was with my face glued to the television from all the anxiety that little chase scene gave me, so I jumped back when the thing looked back at me. It felt like it was looking directly at me.

"I want ears like yours"

There it was again

"I want arms like yours"

"I want a mind to think and a heart to feel like yours"

I wanted to punch the screen; I had no idea what was going on. This was starting to get unsettling. Then, I was back in the main menu, the game's menu. It didn't crash this time, at least that. Tails was gone, like Amy. Now, Sonic was there, facing his metal faker. The two looked like they were about to punch each other in an epic pose. Visually it looked great, but then it hit me. "Battle of Metal and Blood"; did it mean faker versus organic? So the two were going to fight again? Maybe we could still get a happy ending of some sorts.

I didn't even flinch. I pressed continue.

The jungle was gone. I was in some facility  now, playing as the blue hedgehog himself this time. The level layout was much different this time; there were more loops, enemies, spikes and so on. Maybe it was only because I was playing as Sonic this time, so I could just speed my way through the level without having to worry about smashing enemies or flying away from them. I got through the level and ended up reaching an empty room; Metal Sonic was there.

I had never been much of a player myself; I'd rather stand by the sidelines and watch as more experienced people got through all the hard levels. Sure I played a lot when I was a kid but I hadn't carried that with me to adolescence. Now I had to do it myself. Hours of playing Sonic CD as a 12 year old, don't fail me now.

The boss fight music kicked in and a large door slammed shut, covering the way out. It was actually kinda hard landing a hit on the guy; I was supposed to dodge his attacks until he got tired and stopped, then parry on certain parts of the walls and spin dash at Metal Sonic as many times as I could while he was down. The thing was: I was awful at parrying. I sucked at anything that involved aiming, but I was somehow able to pull it off well enough to send the guy to his knees after around 20 minutes of dodging and parrying things.

When I hit him for the last time, it looked like I'd split his face in half or something. There were some pieces of Metal Sonic's shiny blue cover scattered around the arena. He just stood still for a while covering his face. Did I do it? Was he deactivating or something? My fingers were getting sore from holding the control and mashing buttons so hard. He wouldn't move on his own, so I just made Sonic approach him to maybe give the final blown.

As I got closer to him, Metal immediately lashed at Sonic again, trying to hold him down. You could see his face a bit better and… it was kinda red. What was that? Was he changing to another phase or something? The screen went black again.

Staring back at me were no longer those two red beacons; there was only one this time, as Metal Sonic did have half of his face completely torn apart. The uncovered half of his face was a bloodied, pulsating mess of flesh and wires. Coils, staples and stitches kept the mass of muscle and whatever else he had inside of him crudely stuck together. Two different colored eyes were shoved in one eye socket as the whole thing now oozed with blood and oil.

"I need quills like yours"

"I need a body like yours"

Was that… what Amy and Tails…

"I need an organic body like yours

to become the Real Sonic"

What… the fuck… I was too shocked to even move as it cut back to the game. Metal Sonic had successfully tackled Sonic to the ground and had started clawing at his face as if trying to rip it out of his "loathsome copy". As I saw a pool of blood appearing under them, I told myself that was enough and got up to pull the cartridge right out of the console. This was just sickening. As I got closer to the console to pull the memory card out, I realised something that made me start worrying about this in a different way. As I got a good look at my Playstation 2, I realized it wasn't plugged in. It wasn't receiving any power at all. It was only connected to the TV.

How had it been working then?...

I slowly backed away from the console, and when I looked back at the screen, that darned thing was looking back at me. It was looking at me as I was trying to stop it, peeking at the side of the screen as I went to turn off my Playstation. That thing knew I was there. No no no, this couldn't be happening. I started shaking as I realized there was something looking back at me though the screen. Its red eyes pierced into my soul, and I didn't know how to stop it.

"I WANT A SOUL… LIKE YOURS"

I shrieked as I finally pulled the cartridge out of the console, throwing it against the wall to my side in pure fear. The screen immediately went to static and the Playstation opened by itself, the Sonic Gems Collection DVD taunting me. That was NOT just a game. Whatever it was, whoever it was, I was terrified to even pick up the memory card. I put the DVD back in its box and turned off the console. I tried taking deep breaths and getting some sleep; it was late, I'd drank a lot of coffee. Maybe all the coffee I was having had created this fever dream. I begged for that to be the situation. Still, I got no sleep that night. My eyes were focused on the TV right in front of my bed, its bright red ON/OFF button giving me panic attacks each time I thought I saw it moving. If I didn't know better, I'd have believed the thing had been watching me all night.

Would it come for me next?

I ended up passing out around 5AM; I was constantly checking my phone to see the time and messaging my friends. I tried explaining the situation to them but they thought I was either messing with them or that I had somehow dreamed the whole situation. I was dead-sure I hadn’t though. I woke up around 2PM and, according to my brother, I looked like shit. Not even he would believe me when I told him what had happened last night; I couldn’t have dreamed the whole thing up even if I wanted to. There had to be something to prove it was all real… the memory card. If I played the game in front of him, he’d have to believe me. After getting breakfast, I pulled my bro back to my room to show him the game. I hesitantly went to pick up the memory card I had thrown against the wall yesterday, but it was no longer there.

“What are you looking for?”

“The memory card; it was right here! Help me look for it!”

“You mean this one?” he pointed at the Playstation.

The fucking cartridge had plugged itself back on the console. What was that thing, and how was it doing that?! The TV screen lit up with static as me and my bro jumped back; we looked at each other in panic and confusion as no one had even touched the TV. We could feel the electricity flowing through the air, giving us chills and making our hair stand up. My brother grabbed my hand as we saw the darned thing appear in front of the static, its shiny metallic cover still split in half. I froze in fear with my little brother to protect right there; I should’ve done more, I should’ve gotten rid of that cursed thing as soon as I unplugged it from the console last night. That thing placed its hands against his side of the screen, its fingers twitching as the blood made the metal hinges rust and creak. The edges of the screen leaked with blood as if he was trying to break this barrier that separated him from us. It looked at us the same way it looked at me; ready to take what he believed was his.

“I… WANT… SOULS LIKE YOURS… AND I WILL HAVE THEM…"

[aotopmha]

Sonic the Hedgehog turned 30 years today.

In celebration, I downloaded all 3 classic games available for mobile and tried to get as far as I could before getting a game over.

For Sonic 1 it was Marble Zone Act 1, for Sonic CD it was the Collision Chaos boss and for Sonic 2 it was the Chemical Plant Act 2 boss.

I'm much better at these games on an emulator/PC, using the arrow keys rather than a controller (or apparently with the android touch controls) because that's how I've played them the most.

Sonic is probably the franchise I've (on and off) followed the longest and I remember fairly precisely when I played my first Sonic game: it was in my second year in school, but I stopped because the crusher section in Hydrocity terrified me and I couldn't get past it.

I also have vague memories of both of the most famous old cartoons and briefly trying the PC version of Sonic CD and Sonic 3D Blast.

My next notable experience with a Sonic game is actually the old Newgrounds game Ultimate Sonic Flash.

This is what opened the Sonic floodgates with other stuff for me, too.

Besides that game there were the flash animations like Nazo Unleashed and Super Mario Bros Z that also appealed to the Dragon Ball fan in me.

Through that stuff, I got into the Sonic Advance games and I was particularly drawn to Sonic Advance 2.

It's strange because Sonic Advance 2 seems to be considered the most "hold right to win" game in the Sonic Advance series, but I find the stages in that game to be the most satisfying to perfect and play.

I also dig Advance 1 and 3, but I remember having the most frustration with 3.

Discovering the Advance series lead me back to the Classic series. Sonic 1, CD, 2, 3 and Knuckles.

Somewhere around here, I also remember the demo for Sonic Adventure DX.

After that I got to the Rush games (which I also found satisfying to complete despite, again, being called "hold right to win" games).

I just found doing as good runs as possible to be satisfying to pull off.

Then I got to Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2.

I think I spent hours replaying and perfecting the Sonic Adventure 2 speed levels in particular. I think those games were absolutely worth it for just the replay value of Sonic's/Shadow's stages. Any frustration with the other gameplay styles was worth all of the play time I got out of those stages and I think the only truly bad gameplay style was Big's fishing stages.

Even then, in Adventure 1 all the other campaigns were also pretty short.

In Adventure 2, I think the only source of true frustration for me were some of Knuckles/Rouge stages.

I think the reason why the other gameplay styles are so frowned upon is that they're not what you come to Sonic for, but I think only Big actually controls badly in terms of the fishing mechanics – the frustrations really come from level design.

After those two comes Heroes, which I think could've been my favourite out of these "adventure style" games, but the controls just were too stiff to not get in the way of enjoyment.

The long stages would've actually been awesome instead of frustrating if I didn't have to fight the controls (and occasionally camera) along the way.

It had some great level design with some really good level themes.

But it just wasn't as responsive as I would've liked it to be and movement over-adjusted really often, leading to deaths and a bunch of frustration not of my own making.

If any game deserves a remake with better controls, I think it is 100% Heroes.

But I still did get some fun out of it when everything worked as well as it could. I kind of love the Haunted House level and all of the interesting things it did.

This is the point where I no longer could play the games for a while.

Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonic 06 and Unleashed HD are the games I've never gotten to play in this gap. But the only bit I'm truly actually interested in are the day stages of Unleashed.

I feel like they have the Rush games effect that despite some of the cheap stuff in those stages, they are very satisfying to complete.

The next games I got to play were Unleashed and Colours Wii (though I never got to finish Unleashed Wii). I like Colours Wii more than Unleashed Wii.

Colours might be mostly 2D and more "generic" blocky stuff, but I still had fun blasting through it.

Unleashed Wii's day stages didn't really have that satisfaction of perfecting the stages like the Advance or Rush stuff. The Werehog was okay and I think sometimes actually better than the day stages, so the game as a whole was just okay.

But I think Colours DS is my favourite of the "Rush-style" games. The Wisps are really satisfying to use and the level design is more involved and less "cheap" than in the other Rush games, where sudden spikes and death pits are much more common.

Somewhere in here is Sonic Chronicles. I actually liked executing the moves with the characters for a little bit, but not much else about it. I think it's the only game in the series to this point I truly dislike.

There are more like okay games, good games and great games in this series for me because it looks like I've managed to avoid the biggest duds.

The final two games in the series I've actually played chronologically are the PC versions of Sonic Generations and Sonic Mania.

And I think both are really good!

Generations still wasn't 100% there with the controls, but I think it was the closest to Adventure series controls. Probably my favourite 3D Sonic game next to Sonic Adventure 2. I spent ages replaying all of the stages. I adore all of the open space and alternate routes there.

Sonic Mania is the best game post transition to 3D to me, though and would maybe even tie for my favourite Sonic game with Sonic CD if it was completely new.

It fixed some of the dated level design of the classic games �� unfair spring and spike placement is at an all-time low, it evolved the usage of shields in a really cool way and added some really interesting level-specific mechanics, my favourite is probably the bouncy gel in Chemical Plant.

I 100% want a completely original Sonic Mania 2.

I have not played Sonic Generations 3DS, Lost World, any of the Boom games or Forces.

All of which are supposedly okay/terrible, too and honestly even don't have anything interesting going on to catch my eye in footage. Forces especially looks frustrating to me because it just looks like hallways and doesn't even look to have the satisfaction of perfecting a stage the other boost games have.

I really seem to be in a position where I've missed all of the worst stuff.

I actually probably find Secret Rings and 3D Blast to be the worst Sonic games because I remember being the most frustrated with them. Chronicles is still just mostly boring.

Black Knight has the really satisfying spin slash attack and you can keep the flow and control Sonic much, much better.

In-between all of this I've tried some of the 8-bit games which I liked just fine, but which all really blended together.

I've also tried the Sonic 4 parts, which I also find okay. Not good Genesis-style games, but okay, functional enough Rush-styled games.

So I can say that I don't think Sonic has ever "jumped the shark". There are good old games and good modern games.

From leaks, the upcoming game at least sounds much more ambitious than some of the previous games like Forces or Lost World.

I predict something like Unleashed where there is a sound foundation in there, but it is unrefined, as there seems to be talk that it's another really big switch-up – it possibly being an open world game.

I think I really appreciate the series' willingness to switch things up even if it doesn't always work out.

The Classic, Adventure, Advance, Rush/Boost games all are very different styles.

I've had a lot of fun over the years with this series and I hope I'll have more fun in the coming years.

I think the Adventure + Heroes remakes are 100% overdue. Also please, Sonic Mania 2 with all-original stages.

[gay-yosuke]

alright its time for me to post about sonic now. nobody asked for this.

personally. i think that the decline of sonic games is. well. nonlinear of course but its a combination of a lot of things that have been present for a while. i started thinking about this because i had knight of the wind stuck in my head while i showered and i thought “yknow i dont think the storybook games were that bad” and it evolved from there. readmore’d cuz its a longass post

first off. one of the things that was present in the games people consider “bad” is eggman NOT being the primary antagonist. i mean. fundamentally this makes sense. eggman has always been the primary antagonist in the games since the beginning, so suddenly introducing these throwaway villains is kind of a shot in the foot. what comes to mind is sonic lost world and the zeti because its like. sega wants us so badly to care about zavok and the rest of them but its just kind of difficult when theyre from yknow. sonic lost world and, fundamentally, throwaway villains. now i thought about this because. sonic lost world ISNT objectively a bad game i dont think. it has bad parts and i think those bad parts are mostly linked to the zeti being the primary antagonists. now this isnt saying that any game with eggman as the primary antagonist is good (ill get to forces later) but it plays a part.

now i couldnt entirely tell you when “eggman ISNT the primary antagonist” first turned up. i would assume sonic adventure because of chaos? which funnily enough links into my next point. the introduction of a secondary antagonist who either a) becomes a primary antagonist in the same game or a later game they’re part of or b) is meant to be some kind of counter to sonic. you could say it started in sonic 3. since knuckles acts as a secondary antagonist for most of the game. funnily enough though hes actually one of the only that stops being an antagonist in the same damn game. hes like “wait a second ive been fucking tricked” and turns to sonic’s side after seeing eggman doing his bastardly actions. so i’d say it actually started in sonic cd with metal sonic. he’s a reoccurring antagonist (the good kind) and was made with the sole purpose of Beating Sonic. in sonic heroes he becomes a primary antagonist in the true ending and whatever. in sonic adventure there’s chaos who becomes the primary antagonist in the true ending as well. now again. none of these games are BAD because of this aspect. sonic 3 is good, as is cd, heroes, and i think sonic adventure has its moments. but again this is just another piece to the puzzle.

the next thing i think thats sort of added to the decline is the fact that. well. corporations. yknow how it is with game design. as a game design student i know that theres fucked up shit going on in a lot of places and sega wanted to make sonic like mario. nintendo knows they have brand loyalty, just like disney does. nintendo slaps mario or pikachu onto something and it’ll sell and they KNOW that. sonic, less so, because hes yknow. got Controversy. sparks arguments about good and bad games. im particularly thinking about sonic boom here because that game had such potential that was stripped away not only by corporate greed (it being forced to be published onto the wii u, which, ill be real with you, i forgot existed) and hardware limitations, but by a lack of commuication within the actual company about WHERE the game was being published to. also dont get me started on how sega shafted the storyline. thats for another day.

overarching plot in sonic games is kind of fun in my opinion. i like a story i can get invested in. one that makes sense and like. you know. adds to the game. and this is the part where i talk about sonic forces.

sonic forces is kind of the culmination of a lot of these things. its a pander to the audience who loves classic sonic (as in, putting classic there for no reason as a nudge towards sonic generations), it features a secondary antagonist who attempts to become a primary antagonist (infinite needs work) and like. objectively id say that the phantom ruby is a bigger antagonist than eggman is. all the things that he does is down to the phantom ruby, and i dont entirely know how the phantom ruby even like. started existing. but we’ll just skip over that for now.

so eggman has infinite who he powers up with the phantom ruby and he becomes the metal sonic-esque character of the game. he’s meant to be sonic’s direct counter which is shown with infinite beating sonic at the start. but infinite just kind of. exists. as a throwaway villain. and the thing with throwaway villains is that infinite creates clones of some other villains (zavok, shadow (????) chaos and metal sonic) and that kinda confused me like. okay so you create fake versions of all these villains who turned against you for various reasons and also metal sonic??? who you could just create again??? but im going on a tangent.

the one thing i listed that forces didnt really feature was eggman not being the primary antagonist. i liked that he was the primary antagonist in forces. i just wish the story was better. and now i get to talk about story problems in sonic games. and as a writer, youre not getting spared.

ive talked abt sonic forces and story. i havent talked about other games and their story. sonic 06′s story was weak because it was trying too hard. the storybook games were good because the story was THERE. sonic gets put into this position of being a character from myths and characters we already know are filling the other positions. it was fun. sonic lost world, i dont really know cuz i never played it but from what i understood, eggman took the zeti’s planet and controlled them with a magic conch, and then the conch gets broken and the zeti fight back?? i dont know why the zeti hate sonic or why they roboticized tails but whatever.

fundamentally. sonic games are go fast. stop eggman. platform. of course eggman can be substituted for other antagonists like in adventure’s case where it becomes stop chaos. everything else in it is adding to the story (or in a lot of cases where its trying too hard, it detracts from everything) and like. adding different things is kind of fun sometimes. people didnt like the clunky controls of the werehog but i thought it was fun having the differences between daytime and nighttime levels. i think werehog had potential.

its less related but i also kinda wish they did what they did in sonic x and had sonic exist in a world with a lot of anthro animal characters instead of humans. i think forces did that okay. a lot of games have human characters like 06 and adventure, and it kind of blurs things. it doesnt make it a bad game if theres human characters but its still kind of. weird.

but anyway this wasnt clear or concise at all i just had some thoughts. i thought some of the marketing for sonic forces was funny like the welcome to the eggman empire video so you dont have to take anything from me.