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In retrospect SA2's secret level is really bizarre.

Discussion in 'General Sonic Discussion' started by Frostav, Jun 9, 2022.

  1. LockOnRommy11

    LockOnRommy11

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    I’ve never experienced it. I refuse to cheat but also I can’t get those last 8 emblems. The game is hard to the point of being extremely unfair, not helped by some terrible auto camera at points in the game. Having seen videos though, it does seem like an odd addition just due to the way the level is designed for the 3D space.

    Im more interested to know that, out of everyone who has experienced it, who didn’t cheat? It’s basically near impossible to unlock. I never had an issue with all 130 emblems in Sonic Adventure (DX).
     
  2. Yash

    Yash

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    I've gotten all 180 emblems several times in SA2. I will admit I've only ever done the Chao stuff legitimately once (my initial playthrough of Battle on GameCube), every other time I've used the infinite animal glitch to boost my Chao's stats up quickly and just dominate the races/karate.
     
  3. LockOnRommy11

    LockOnRommy11

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    How you managed the emerald hunt levels and the later mech stages is beyond me, and to get all A rank, multiple times, is amazing. You are a god.
     
  4. Xiao Hayes

    Xiao Hayes

    Classic Eggman art Member
    - On Dreamcast, I got all the emblems in both games the legit way. I needed a bit of help of my friends in SA2 with kart races, though.

    - On Steam, I haven't gotten the Sky Chase emblems in SA1, and I can't imagine how I got them the first place, not even with training. Some mission cards are absurdly difficult to complete (flags in Ice Cap, I'm looking at you), so I haven't gotten Metal Sonic either.

    - I own SA2 on Steam, Battle DLC included, but I haven't run it yet, so can't tell if I'd be able to get them again.

    Learning the levels and doing everything without stopping to look around in the case of shooting levels, learning the emerald locations and repeat until you get a lucky run where they're near each other and/or collected on an intutive order for the hunts. Meteor Herd is so big it took me a good while to finish.
     
  5. I bought SA2 on the PS3 two months ago to grab the trophies. It took maybe 3 or 4 sessions to get every non-Chao emblem but I still need to finish the Chao crap. I just can’t stand the process even with the exploit. I’ve never 180 emblem’d the game before but I think I’ve A-ranked everything a few times before.

    I don’t think I struggled with anything except maybe 100 ring A ranks in hunting stages and hard mode for Egg Quarters.
     
  6. Dek Rollins

    Dek Rollins

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    Regarding the discussion on the camera from earlier in the thread, to me the bad camera basically ruins any fun that could be had in the level. The issue isn't really that it can't be controlled, it's that the camera is placed poorly at a side-viewing angle for almost the entire zone. It feels really bizarre while playing because none of the levels in the game proper do that. I understand that they probably did it to make it easier to recognize level design originally designed for 2D side-scrolling, but not being able to see forward like in every other level in the game makes it a visually frustrating experience.

    But as for the point of the topic, I agree that they could have taken some lessons from the kinda-success of translating GHZ into 3D.
     
  7. kyasarintsu

    kyasarintsu

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    I didn't find the game particularly hard and I had family members who would take down some emblems whenever they felt like it. I've also done it entirely solo, because my VMU died and I had to make that progress back.
    The only "cheating" I did was using that glitch to give an animal to a Chao multiple times, which I found out by myself and had no shame in performing because even as a kid with infinite free time I found the grind absolutely disgusting.
     
  8. Overlord

    Overlord

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    The grind of Chao and the impossibility of some of the later challenge levels mean yeah, 180 emblems for GHZ simply isn't worth the effort. If I ever play it it'll be via downloading a VMU save.
     
  9. Sparks

    Sparks

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    Joining in the "Output isn't worth the reward" crowd. I never unlocked Green Hill Zone on my own, but did play it at a family friends house years ago. I don't remember being impressed by what I played though. In hindsight, I feel like it's best to take SA2B Green Hill Zone at face value for what it is; a bonus level. I don't think Sonic Team was trying to prove any sort of feasibility or transition of classic level design philosophy to 3D with the level; it was simply a nod to the franchises roots for what was an anniversary title.

    Personally, I found the emblems/missions in SADX far more rewarding, with how they unlocked the entire Game Gear library, and I got hours of replay value out of that as a kid.
     
  10. OKei

    OKei

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    I managed to get all 180 emblems in SA2B in 2002 at age 12. I have to say it is almost not worth it, unless you're already a major Sonic fan.

    When I got my hands on the steam version a few years back, it took considerably less time (I did it all in about a month), and all of the pain of a Chao Garden shenanigans came and Green Hill felt even more of a pyrrhic victory. The fact that I lost my perfect save file a little later afterwards has compelled me never to ever do this venture again.
     
  11. Frostav

    Frostav

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    I'm not saying it was, in fact I'm saying pretty much the opposite: the fact that it is such a literal translation of the original level into 3D and not remade to match the linear, setpiece-driven design of the other Sonic/Shadow levels in SA2 is what makes it stick out in my mind so much.
     
  12. Yash

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    lol, thank you. I honestly find the regular levels pretty easy by now, that’s what happens when you hyperfixate I guess. I’ve probably sunk over 300 hours into SA2 over my lifetime at this point, and I’m only just now at a point where I’m pretty burnt out on it.

    Fun story, on the modern remaster you can’t even get 180 emblems unless you pay for the Battle DLC. That’s because Chao Karate is gated behind it as are its four emblems, meaning you’re stuck at 176 in the vanilla game. SA1 is the same way with Metal Sonic and mission mode being paid additions (and you still have to unlock Metal). Mildly scummy, but basically every bundle that includes SA1 or 2 nowadays includes the DLC, so whatever, I just think it’s funny.
     
  13. Linkabel

    Linkabel

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    What I liked about SA2's Green Hill is that it's a great stage for the light speed dash. You can time it to defeat badniks and there are areas where you barely touch the ground if you play it smart.
     
  14. Antheraea

    Antheraea

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    so, there's a set number of locations an item can appear in, so if you run the levels enough you can tell where they are based on how the radar goes without having to look it up on one of the hint monitors (and using those lowers your grade automatically IIRC). The hard levels for the hunts are even easier as they are always in the same places, always, and always require one of the optional upgrade items, like Knuckles' Sunglasses to see a spring that won't trigger otherwise, so then it becomes rote memorization.

    The key to the mecha stages is to see how the enemies are grouped together throughout the levels. The main way to get As in the mecha stages is to kill as many enemies as possible with a single laser sweep. The Gamma stages in SA1 encouraged this too as that's how you kept your timer up if I recall.
     
  15. corneliab

    corneliab

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    Yep, exactly. The only major exception to this general Tails/Eggman/Gamma strategy is at Cosmic Wall, during the parts where you're on-rails and zooming across a bunch of enemies. I remember playing the Dreamcast version (where the points requirement for A-rank on this stage is higher) and being confused as to why I wasn't getting it. I wouldn't have guessed that it was because the enemies were despawning due to distance and that I was resultingly missing out on a lot of points (it's better to just individually blast things as fast as you can). Pretty dang silly.
     
  16. BadBehavior

    BadBehavior

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    I haven't played the level myself sadly but this is kinda what I want green hill zone to be, an unlockable reward. Not the first level theme for 4 games in a row with minor alterations. It goes up a few points in my mind for coming in before it was sorely overused.
     
  17. Yash

    Yash

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    Yeah Cosmic Wall was nerfed hard between the DC and GC versions, went from being borderline impossible to comically easy. That's the trade-off I suppose for the GC version making you get all A-ranks in Cannon's Core (something I never did on my original DC file, where I had about 172 emblems before my dad deleted it to make room for some sports game which practically demanded memory cards all to themselves).
     
  18. Xiao Hayes

    Xiao Hayes

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    If I play it all again on Steam and have to get an A rank on Cannon Core's hard mode, I'll never see Green Hill again (until I plug in my Dreamcast, that is).
     
  19. Chibisteven

    Chibisteven

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    I've A ranked Cannon's Core in the Dreamcast version (not required) to look more consistent in the stage select screen and the Steam version (required). All 5 of the missions. Little OCD about details.

    I found Cosmic Wall in hard mode surprise A-rank for me on the Dreamcast a bit relieving for me after finishing it the first time, for the Steam version I had to try a few times to get an A rank.
     
  20. Xiao Hayes

    Xiao Hayes

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    I was trying to get it to have the game 100%ed too even if they weren't needed, but I always had the impression I was missing some nifty combo that would rise my ranking, because I did everything as perfect as I could guess how, and yet always a C. That OCD also irks me when I go past all those levels with 5 As and then I get to the end of the list and that yellow C shows.