Your favorite Sonic move from one game?

I LUV TEH BOOST.

No, but seriously. I have a lot of fun with the stomp from Unleashed, Colors, and Generations. I feel like it adds a really useful function for getting from the air back down, IF you have perfect timing.

Speaking of which, I was also always a big proponent of the insta-shield. Sonic had TONS of versatility if you were good with it. I particularly love jumping THROUGH the lava-falls in Lava Reef with it.

 

Hail Storm from Sonic Chronicles. Needs Sonic, Amy, Tails and Knuckles, but has the added benefit of smashing enemies into a very fine powder.

 

I'm going to have to agree about the Spindash from SA1/SADX being my favorite ability. Once you get the hang of using it, you can't help but see how much you can "break" in the game by skipping over sections of levels, or spindashing up walls like the one rock in Emerald Coast after the Killer Whale that brings you up to the lighthouse. It just feels more rewarding to use than the Boost from the more recent games. Sure, the former got nerfed in SA2(B) understandably because someone thought the somersault was a good idea for rolling under tight spots which is definitely not what the spin was for in the first place.

Edit: Come to think of it, why didn't the somersault just act like the rolling that Tails and Knuckles had in SA1/SADX? Would've been nicer so it didn't completely kill your momentum. :v:

 

The Insta-Shield(and the other S3K shields)

 

I guess because then it couldn't be done from a stand-still? I mean, the typical situation with the somersault was, "Bash into a wall, lose all momentum ANYWAY, somersault into wall, angle yourself better, somersault again."

With that said, yeah, being able to roll or spin-dash through those things would've made a LOT more sense, though having the somersault at all was probably a bad design choice. I get that they wanted to nerf the spin-dash, so why not just have it so it can only be done if you're standing still, and you'll just roll otherwise?

 

The somersault is hands down the stupidest Sonic move of all time. "Hey this looks like a good spot to spin dash/roll under" "NOPE! Try the slower version of the roll instead, for some reason its more effective"

Favorite move though? Sonic 3 shields or the broken ass spindash in Generations. Love how far you can go with that thing. It's like the SADX spindash but in a better game.

 

Can I say Maria's bitch-slap attack in ShTH? Running through The Doom and Lost Impact with a friend making Maria slap the GUN Soldiers to death was the absolute highlight of the game. It was made better still when she'd randomly cry out "I'm so sorry!".

But if we're going to stick to more serious answers, then I actually think that Ring Time in Generations was awesome. It'd make a great item box powerup in future games. Just approach an enemy and turn it into masses of gold. Of course, you could actually break the game with it in Generations (try using it in Rooftop Run just as you enter the indoors section), but that's besides the point. RT is a really fun move. The there's a few others I can think of, such as Knuckles' climbing spindash that he gets when partnered with Amy in Advance 3, or the yellow drill in Colours.

 

The insta-shield and Sonic's shield abilities in 3K, as they make Sonic the best character for anyone who isn't a noob =P.

Spin dash from SA1 due to how satisfying it is to speed run a level by jumping over half of it. And the Peel Out, because it looks so damn cool.

Cream's Cheese attack gets an honourable mention for being the mash B to win button in SAdv2. Young CB had muchas funsies plowing through the game with Cheese's Face of Steel.

 

+1 for the instashield. It's one of those features that increases replayability for more experienced players - less confident players have to wait for Bubbles in MGZ to deflate and avoid Orbinauts altogether (for example), but players who have mastered the instashield (which sadly does not include myself!) can place a carefully timed attack to destroy them anyway. It's very satisfying when you manage to pull it off repeatedly.

 

Insta-shield in S3&K is amazing if you're awesome at the game. Completely ignoring enemy attacks with a well-timed insta-shield is just so goddamned satisfying, moreso when people bitch about how useless the move is.

The broken as fuck spindash in SA1 is also one of my favorites. You can literally beat the entire game without ever using the light dash if you know how to use it!

Aren't bubbles invincible when they have their spikes out?

 

Pretty sure this is a list topic, unless we all make damn sure to back up our claims.

I really, really like the way the insta-shield really pushes a risk-reward playstyle. As a general rule, the more you have to lose if you fuck it up, the more you have to gain if you don't. Against an enemy you could've killed anyway, it slightly changes your bounce, but against an enemy that was otherwise protected in some way, or against a projectile, it can be a tremendous timesaver. It places a very deliberate emphasis on skill probably more than any other move I can think of. Perhaps most importantly, though, is the fact that it can be completely ignored; it's 100% optional. There's something to be said for game design that can so highly reward mastery of an advanced skill without punishing non-mastery.

Also, it would make Metallic Madness 3 so much easier of Sonic CD had it.

 

I kind of like that move where you zip along a trail of rings, but I liked it better in games like Adventure 2. After games like Generations, it became more like a defined path; you can only zip if you get the button prompt. Let the player decide when to use it, and it could give them a split second save from death if they need it, help them get to hard to reach areas, or even break the game.

Would also love to see more of things like The Light Speed Attack/Maximum Heat Attack, but the way Sonic games are going these days, that might be limited to Super Forms or something.

 

Other than Generations I haven't really played any modern Sonic games (anything after S3&K) so I have to say instashield is quite fun. Anyone with any skill can easily plow through the game as Sonic, the other two characters are too dull without insta shield. The shield upgrades for Sonic are awesome as well, making him a way better choice for speedruns than Tails or Knuckles, and making the game signficantly easier as Sonic.

 

The wall spin-dash from Sonic Advance 3 should be a Knuckles staple. If you paired up with Amy, you could actually rev up a spin while climbing a wall for quick ascension.

I don't think it's been used since, but then again, Knuckles has kinda been sitting it out.

 

That was a good move. In fact Sonic Advance 3 had a lot of good character moves. I liked Knuckles' upper cut glide that you got when you were partnered with Tails and I liked being able to use Cheese for whatever character you partnered with Cream.

I don't believe Knuckles has been playable in a normal Sonic game since Sonic Rivals 2, and he couldn't glide or climb in that series.

 

The mid-air spin jump is a move I'd love to see return -- but even in Triple Trouble it was really underused.

It'd be interesting to have a falling level, something bonus-stagey, of a sort similar to the Shadow Dancer (Gen) bonus stages, where Sonic is in free-fall, and has to time using the move to hit the enemies.
Or it could be used to supplant some of the questionable uses of the homing-attack in more recent games; take a spring up, chain along some enemies in the air who do more than just exist as destructable platforms, and take a (faster/less hazardous, naturally) path on higher ground.

 

Not a normal Sonic game, but he is in Sonic Jump -- and he's one of the best characters in it. He's now come full-circle and can jump HIGHER than everyone else, for some reason.

 

I personally love the Strike Dash, sure it's very similar to the Super Peel-out but after Sonic performs the move he's invulnerable for a few seconds. Plus he can become invincible after charging the move for a while, so it can come in handy. (Though Sonic Chaos is too easy to begin with... :v

 

My favourite move has been the electric shield from Sonic 3 & Knuckles. I love the feeling when I pass through lots of rings and all the rings chase me and add up.