don't click here

Opinion of the Mega Drive Sonic Trilogy - Europe vs North America

Discussion in 'General Sonic Discussion' started by BlackHole, Nov 6, 2016.

Which game do you think is the best? (Keep North American and European votes separate, please and th

  1. EUR - Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  2. EUR - Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992)

    7.9%
  3. EUR - Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Knuckles (1994)

    31.7%
  4. NA - Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)

    1.6%
  5. NA - Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992)

    7.1%
  6. NA - Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Knuckles (1994)

    51.6%
  1. BlackHole

    BlackHole

    You're going to need MORE than help. Member
    5,645
    771
    93
    England
    Complaining
    One night, I was in a conversation with someone about which was the better game, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 or Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Knuckles. I prefer the latter, they preferred the former. They proceeded to ask an interesting question: which game is more popular in the UK?

    I generally hear that Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is considered the best in the USA, but I've never really heard what is considered the best in the UK. What do we consider the best Sonic the Hedgehog game? Plus, I'm curious as to how the views in the USA have changed as time has passed: with access to the full game much more commonplace and without having to buy two cartridges, has Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Knuckles managed to dethrone Sonic the Hedgehog 2 or has it consistantly remained popular?

    I would have added more, but I've got limited options on polls. Maybe a later date, and I can have North America and Europe and get more opinions outside of the two, but for now my curiousity is focused on those two countries.

    So, I've made this poll with separate polls for the UK and the USA members. All I ask is that no one begins arguing with one another, each opinion is as valid as the next and last, and UK and US members keep to their polls. Thank you very much.



    If this goes against any rules, please feel free to remove it. It's merely a query I'm pondering and would like to see how it comes out.

    EDIT: I've altered the polls to expand. Europe and North America now, in place of the UK and USA, which are in the regions so those votes are still valid.
     
  2. ICEknight

    ICEknight

    Researcher Researcher
    Ow crap, I don't live in an English-speaking country. <=\
     
  3. winterhell

    winterhell

    Member
    1,165
    7
    18
    As far as the general public is concerned, Sonic 2 is probably far far more popular than S3/SK/S3K.

    Because there was virtually nothing after it for 2 years, the game's longevity for a single cartridge, higher difficulty and lack of save states means gamers spent more time with it before they beat it.
    Remember, Sonic 2 also shared some Game of The Year awards.
    By '94 the gaming landscape was changing, PC gamers had Doom, everyone was looking forward to the new and exiting 32-bit consoles with 3D games.
     
  4. BlackHole

    BlackHole

    You're going to need MORE than help. Member
    5,645
    771
    93
    England
    Complaining
    Feel free to say what yours is in the comments. It'll give me a little preview of what I should see in a Europe/North America poll if I do that.
     
  5. 360

    360

    Light Vision Overdrive Oldbie
    2,282
    1
    0
    United Kingdom
    Sonic Neon
    UK here. Sonic 3 and Knuckles by a mile. It's the far superior game. Sonic 2 however released when Sega was at its critical peak here in the UK and practically everyone had a Megadrive so I think its popularity is more due to simply more people having the game. Sonic was starting to fade as the 32 bit generation dawned so Sonic 3 and Knuckles released when Sonic and Sega mania was beginning to fade and the PlayStation was taking over the world. So for that reason I'd imagine most gamers' choice would be Sonic 2.

    Simply because more people owned and played it. I knew hundreds of people at the time who owned Sonic 1 and 2. Less so with 3 and Knuckles.
     
  6. Black Squirrel

    Black Squirrel

    no reverse gear Wiki Sysop
    8,544
    2,465
    93
    Northumberland, UK
    steamboat wiki
    I would imagine opinions are broadly the same across both regions - the only major difference is that in the US, there was some actual, credible competition, leading to a lower percentage of Sonic fans overall.


    Worth noting though that far far far more people have played Sonic 2 than Sonic 3, what with it being the top pack-in at the height of the console's popularity.



    Sonic 2 might have also been the first game with a release date people knew about - they spent a huge amount of time plugging the thing which wasn't so much the case with Sonic 3.
     
  7. BlackHole

    BlackHole

    You're going to need MORE than help. Member
    5,645
    771
    93
    England
    Complaining
    Funnily enough, the USA voters have all chosen Sonic 3K thus far (9 votes), while the UK has the votes for Sonic 2 (2 votes) (Sonic 3K - 5 votes).
     
  8. DigitalDuck

    DigitalDuck

    Arriving four years late. Member
    5,338
    412
    63
    Lincs, UK
    TurBoa, S1RL
    This is by far and away the main reason Sonic 2 is more popular than Sonic 3, to the point that it overrides other factors. Similarly, if you ask the general population what the best Tetris game is, they'll say the Game Boy one, because it came with the Game Boy. They're all wrong, of course. On both accounts.

    EDIT: And the reason you're getting different results here is because this is a poll among the fanbase, not the public. We've played them all, and still enjoy them, whereas the public in general have mostly only played Sonic 2, and the few that have played S3K still think Sonic 2 is better because that's the one they played as a kid.
     
  9. Billy

    Billy

    RIP Oderus Urungus Member
    2,118
    178
    43
    Colorado, USA
    Indie games
    Going to have to echo the "general public likes Sonic 2 more" sentiment, at least here in the states. For example, my family's Genesis came with Sonic 1, but Sonic 2 was definitely the most played -- We didn't even own Sonic 3 until I got it myself many years later. I do recollect that my parents rented it at some point, but they never purchased it outright. We got S&K sometime between then... which was used almost entirely to play Sonic 2 as Knuckles by my family.
     
  10. Josh

    Josh

    Oldbie
    2,123
    1,087
    93
    USA
    Yup, Sonic 2 had the advantage of being the pack-in game not only during the height of the system's popularity, but also when the price had been slashed, yet the console was still a major force. I got a Genesis in 1994, and I think the price would've been under a hundred dollars by then. Sonic 2 was the pack-in.

    Sonic 3 is also hurt by the fact that it's significantly more challenging AND complicated than its predecessor, and yet it's probably not as strong of a game without Sonic & Knuckles locked on. That was a high barrier for entry for a kid, and I knew plenty of my friends back then who only had Sonic 3 or S&K, but not both.

    Sonic 2's more linear stage design that gives you speed as a spectacle, at least through the first two zones, probably led to it being WAY more memorable for the general public.
     
  11. Sui Eel

    Sui Eel

    captan Member
    Hilariously enough, this poll lines up with a Stats assignment I currently have, and has all the correct variables.

    Do you mind if I use the data for the study?

    Also, in regards to the actual topic;

    I like Sonic 2 and 3K rather equally, but I feel that 3K deserves the title more just because of it's volume and more varied content (ex. Knuckles, Flying Tails, Shield abilities). But there is a lot more things in 3K that annoy me in regards to level design than 2, which is also probably because of it's volume.
     
  12. Ravenfreak

    Ravenfreak

    2 Edgy 4 U Tech Member
    3,077
    176
    43
    O'Fallon Mo
    Sonic 1 Game Gear Disassembly
    I absolutely love S3K much better than Sonic 2. I find Sonic 2 to be quite overrated, like Unleashed. Sonic 2 is a great game, but Sonic 3K is much better in terms of gameplay and music. I also love Sonic's sprites in S3 over all his other classic sprites too. Honestly though I didn't know that Sonic 3 could connect with Sonic and Knuckles until 2004, since my cousins never had 3 or S&K growing up. :v: They only had Sonic 1, and rented Sonic 2 before. In terms of the general public, Sonic 2 is much more well known here in the states. But in terms of Sonic fans and gamers opinions, Sonic 3K was much more popular.
     
  13. BlackHole

    BlackHole

    You're going to need MORE than help. Member
    5,645
    771
    93
    England
    Complaining
    Go ahead, though you should probably note that the results stem from the dedicated fanbase and not general public opinion, which will vary.
     
  14. Flygon

    Flygon

    Member
    I'm an Australian myself, and by far prefer 3 and Knuckles. However, I was born in '92, and only really found the series through the Sonic and Knuckles Collection, which may skew figures a bit.

    Interestingly, the people my parents (whoo gamer parents) knew only had SEGA Master Systems. The first Sonic the Hedgehog game for that system was actually quite popular. I suspect you might find similar skews in the UK, given how much cheaper the Master System was there than the Mega Drive.
     
  15. DigitalDuck

    DigitalDuck

    Arriving four years late. Member
    5,338
    412
    63
    Lincs, UK
    TurBoa, S1RL
    Unleashed? Overrated?

    What?
     
  16. Ravenfreak

    Ravenfreak

    2 Edgy 4 U Tech Member
    3,077
    176
    43
    O'Fallon Mo
    Sonic 1 Game Gear Disassembly
    Unleashed could have been better without that damn werehog. I mean I can see why people praise it since it did come out after '06, but if the werehog was replaced with Knuckles I would have loved it more. I just don't really see the hype for the game myself, it's not a bad game during the day stages but it's meh during the night stages. Likewise with Sonic 2, I can see why more people prefer it over the other Mega Drive titles but I find it overrated as well. (I'm thinking I've mentioned this before a while back. But we're getting off topic now. :P)
     
  17. Aquova

    Aquova

    Professional nerd in training Member
    146
    1
    18
    USA
    Hype? What hype? Nearly everyone I've ever spoken to has expressed similar feelings towards the game, I wouldn't call Unleashed overrated. It got bad press when it released due to residual backlash over Sonic 06, and it gets bad press today for having the werehog and having clunkier controls than Colors and Generations. I personally like Unleashed quite a lot and consider it underrated!

    (That being said, you're right, Sonic 2 is a bit overrated)
     
  18. Josh

    Josh

    Oldbie
    2,123
    1,087
    93
    USA
    While we can argue about Unleashed and Sonic 2 and whatever else all we like, let's not start throwing around the term "overrated." That's one of my least-favorite ways to describe a video game, because all it really boils down to is, "I like this game significantly less than most other people do, and rather than explain WHY I feel that way, I'm going to use terminology that makes it out like their subjective opinions are wrong."

    Sonic 2 isn't overrated, because that term is fairly meaningless, but it IS more well-known than its sequel, and a big part of WHY is because it's more accessible. I know people who've picked up Sonic 3 in recent years and HATED it, because they kept getting lost, or running out of time, or just dying. The challenge and complexity that we all love about it really is a turn-off for people who'd rather just go fast. If I was going to call it overrated, that would be why, but it doesn't mean those people are WRONG. We just like different games for different reasons.
     
  19. Sui Eel

    Sui Eel

    captan Member
    It's good enough for this assignment, but thanks!
     
  20. SiddtheKidd

    SiddtheKidd

    Streets of Fucking Rage! Member
    99
    0
    0
    Sin City
    Project Neo - Deadly Metropolis
    USA here, IMHO it's apples to oranges. Both games have their specific merits that make them excellent games, merits that don't take way from the opposite game by not having them. Sonic 2 felt more like a speedrun when you got the hang of the layout, whereas Sonic 3&K felt more complex, had a little more exploring and narrative to it. It's like when people compare Streets of Rage 2 and Streets of Rage 3, they feel like two different games ultimately. That's just my 2 cents.