How has your playstyle changed?

Now that I think about it, I'm actually somewhat saddened by my playing these days.

When I was a kid I loved to try and examine every nook and cranny of each zone, in addition to just getting through the level. After a while I felt like I knew everything about the levels, which is funny because once I started coming to this site I realized how little I knew. There are entire routes that I never saw as a kid.

But now when I play, more often than not I end up just trying to get through the level as quickly as possible, which is exactly what everyone here says you're NOT supposed to do, and that's why the series went down the tubes and all that. But really, going fast is the main point of playing a Sonic game, isn't it? I certainly enjoy the multiple ways of getting through the level, because they add replay value, but I don't really explore for the sake of it the way I used to as a kid. I think it's because I've got so many more responsibilities and other things going on in my life now that when I play games, I generally want to get through as much of them at once as I can.

On the subject of Heroes, I still tend to play as the speed character by default. But then again, I haven't played through the game as a whole since it came out. Now I mostly just play one or two levels at a time. It's actually the exact opposite of what happened with the Genesis and Adventure games-- now when I play those, I try to play as much of the whole game as I can, whereas before I'd often just do one or two levels via level select. It's probably because I remember many Heroes levels being REALLY frustrating, and not wanting to have to go back to them.

 

Traditionally I followed routes in S3K that led to goodies and lots of rings, and avoided being hit at all costs.

Lately, I've been doing netplay races to test S3C - fire up two Fusion sessions, connect to each other and race through the game. Of course, this means I have to change my style and wrench myself away from the long-winded, loop-back-around-three-times-for-rings routes I favour to be able to compete. However, my "safe" style tends to still help me in Launch Base, which is usually where I make back a bunch of time.

 

When I first played Sonic, I simply played through the game as anyone would when they first play something. Now, I abuse the game's physics a lot. Slingshotting in loops is awesome.

 

Before, my mother and I use to play Sonic together, trying to complete the game normally and getting some chaos emeralds on the way, (and always failing at the spring yard zone boss or accidently reset the game by then haha) and all that good stuff.

Now that I'm a more experienced gamer and everything's a hell of a lot easier, I play the game as competitively as ever before and go for speed runs and set out for the best times possible. Every once in a blue moon I explore a little here and there

 

In the classic games I tend to race through the levels because I know the layouts so well, I also like to do cool jump combos and high bounces and stuff.
But If I'm playing a layout hack or something I'll take my time a bit more.

 

I used to go slow and grab lots of rings.

Now I just try to finish as quickly as possible without losing them. Speedrunning is fun.

 

I don't suck as much. Does that count?

But in all seriousness, I guess I'm a bit more exploration minded. I still try to get the best time I can, but I'm no longer opposed to checking the nooks and crannies in a level.

I've also developed a deep hatred toward Labyrinth Zone, and now play it with what can be described as a chip on my shoulder.

 

Well, it has not changed too much, actually. Of course, I've learned some tricks and all that, but in general it has not changed. I still don't care about collectables (not only in the Sonic series, actually), and I still speedrun (though a lot better than a few years ago).

But I still suck. :v:

Also,

This.

EDIT:I accidentally a word.

 

Actually, as a kid...I almost never rolled. I pretty much only did it to kill some enemies that were hard or impossible to attack from the side. Otherwise, I played it like a typical platformer. Run & Jump. It wasn't until I replayed the games as an adult that I started rolling everywhere. It's probably the main reason I had no problems with the Adventure games, I never cared too much about the momentum psychics to begin with.

Also, I used to use level select to cheat...and then die instantly on Scrap Brain. Cheaters never win!

 

I always used to try to take advantage of the physics to get through the stages faster. I especially had fun jumping off walls in Sonic 2 to beat the Casino Night Zone boss, makes it a whole lot easier than trying to spindash up in the air and fall on him

But now when I play I mostly just go through casually. There's plenty of fun to be had just running through the stages and playing the games like I did the first few times, just enjoying the scenery and all that jazz

 

I used to go pretty damn slow in Sonic 1, just to make sure I wouldn't die. :v: It wasn't until I was at least 10 years old that I became extremely good at Sonic 1 to the point where I just breeze through it without dying once. Also I would hardly ever use the insta-shield in Sonic 3 when I was a kid but now I use it a lot whenever I feel I need to.

 

-I was so young when I started playing Sonic that I didn't know I could roll for a long time. I just thought that Sonic sometimes spun for no real reason.
-I now insta-shield ALL the freakin' time, to kill enemies, avoid things, and retain my momentum out of a rolling jump. When I was a kid, I was so bad at timing it that it was pretty much worthless.
-I now hit B instead of C to jump.
-I move my three middle fingers to the three buttons to charge-spindash, and I spindash much more often. If I just need a smaller burst, I'll jump hit the button once.
-Knowing the level layouts a lot better now, I tend to speedrun almost every time I play. I think this is partly why Sonic CD and Sonic 1, while I still love 'em, are my least favorite of the classics. The levels are designed to be slower, more explory affairs. I also attribute this largely to why I enjoy modern Sonic gameplay where some people here don't.

And speaking of which! Tiddles, I'd love to race you sometime! I didn't even know you could do that.

 

When I was younger, I would explore the level as much as I could, gathering every ring I could find, I also didn't know how to abuse the physics. Now when I play I just like to fuck around, and I'm constantly using moonjumps and rebounds off of enemies and monitors to pull of mildly entertaining combos.

 

Well, I remember when I first started playing video games. In GHZ2, in the bottom part with the first swing, I didn't knew you could take the (more dangerous) bottom path, so I tried to get back up by running up the ramp. Instead of going a bit to the left and just run on the ramp and get to the top, I'd spin halfway, thinking to myself this'd work better. I kept insisting, regardless of how many times my parents told me rolling just makes it worse.

But anyway, I think I used to play Sonic games normally. 50% doing junk around the levels, waiting to see if I could find interesting stuff that'd blow my mind, like swings that hit other swings (MCZ), or breakable walls for shortcuts, and 50% racing through the level. Nowadays... Well, nowadays, the only thing I CAN do is race through the level, as there is no exploration factor... I really hope Generations fixes this.

Also, I think that when I was a kid, I blazed through Launch Base Zone easily. I just tried doing so recently on the Virtual Console (fine, a homebrew emulator), and I got my ass handed over to me...

 

When I was a kid I always picked Tails in Sonic 2 and 3. I don't know why; maybe because I'm a girl and the more...cute is the word maybe? animal appealed to me the most? I'm not really sure. Nowadays I don't pick Tails because he sucks and you can't turn super with him in Sonic 2 anyway. If I ever played as Sonic I made damn sure Tails was by my side, but WHY? All he does is cause problems, especially in Special Stage.

tl;dr I'd rather pick a character who doesn't suck (Sonic.)

 

I tend to go a lot, lot faster now.
For example, Mushroom Hill Zone, where you go round the pathway and fly off the end. I tend to roll as soon as I hit the ground to maximize the number of enemies I destroy along the way. I'm also not really focused on rings at all, as opposed to when I was a child where I would compulsively collect as many as possible. =P

 

When I was very young, I didn't understand the value of rolling, so sonic 1 was incredibly hard compared to the sequel for me.
After years I can say that now I can't imagine myself playing without rolling, in speedruns and lazy runs.
Not so much to say about the majority of latest games, it's just about memorization and running like there is no tomorrow.
Colors was an exception, I liked dicking around in many areas.
About Heroes....the first time I played it, I noticed how sonic seemed uncontrollable and unresponsive compared to sadv2, and how sad was his b-button move.
Really, that move was crap. So I just sticked to knuckles in many situations.
A month ago I picked the game after years of inactivity.
I noticed how sonic seemed uncontrollable and unresponsive compared to colors, and how sad was his b-button move. So I sticked to knuckles. Again.

 

I used to always play Sonic. I never cared about using anyone else until I was stuck somewhere on Sonic's story mode or something. I never tried to go exploring. I was to try to beat the game and that's it. Did Time Attack once and realized nothing had changed so I never went to Time Attack again. Never skipped the cutscenes though.

Nowadays, I still don't explore, but I'm willing to use anyone else for a change of pace (I dodge Tails a lot). Time attacks seem a little bit more valuable, but I don't pay too much attention to them.

My first playthrough of Sonic Heroes was full of just me mashing the B button for Sonic's kick (thinking that would make me go faster).
Through my second playthrough after beating Sonic Heroes (years later), I try to get through the stage using only Sonic.

When I played Shadow the hedgehog, I embraced all interactivity with guns. I hated punch, punch, kick and every melee weapon in that game. A much more admired control is Knuckles' punching (which would be better if it didn't automatically target the nearest enemy).