[W.A.C.]

Vangar, on 03 February 2014 - 07:22 AM, said:

You're going to have to explain this to me. Sonic 2 only has 12 stages, unless you are breaking them into acts? In which case you only like one some acts of some zones? From your love it hate it list, 8ish out of 12 zones isn't bad?

You also mention you love every zone in Sonic 1 but hate Casino Night because you have to wait for platforms? How about the platforms in Spring Yard. Like the multiple marathon of them up and down? You mention you like it because it is slower paced, or at least it doesn't bother you... so why is 1 - 2 platforms in CNZ an issue? CNZ and spring yard are extremely similar, Spring yard is kinda like a less-featured CNZ. You still get bounced around all over the place.

I count each act as a separate level. If I love an entire zone, I love every act from that zone which means I love 11/20 of the stages from Sonic 2. I never said I hate any zone from Sonic 2. In fact, I like every level from that game and think it's an excellent game but not as enjoyable as Sonic 1 and 3&K. I don't dislike the elevator mechanic as much as I don't really care for it. The platforms that went up and down in Spring Yard were more fun than the elevator because it was more interactive and there was a risk of death if you're careless with the platforms. I mostly pointed out the elevator mechanic because a lot of people complain about Sonic 1's slower pace, yet I feel Casino Night Zone was slower paced than most of Sonic 1's levels.

Vangar, on 03 February 2014 - 07:22 AM, said:

ARZ and LZ are similar too. Both punish you underwater - ARZ only has a few falling stones while LZ has spikes all over the place, quickly moving spike balls and the boss is more frustrating.

Aquatic Ruin Zone and Labyrinth Zone are very different stages. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think it's possible to avoid water throughout the entirety of Aquatic Ruin Zone. Compared to Labyrinth Zone and Hydrocity Zone, water felt more integrated into those stages where it was more than just a punishment for falling down. Was water ever used as a punishment in those stages? Yes, but navigating through water sections in most of LZ and HCZ did not feel like a punishment for screwing up. I can't say the same about ARZ.

.Luke, on 03 February 2014 - 12:56 PM, said:

I have a cartridge of Sonic Advance 3, and there are lots of places specific character types can't get into easily; I've had it for years and haven't really seen the half of its alternate paths. I felt like the level design in the Advance games was at its best in SA3, it had a fair balance of speed and exploration, (Much like Sonic CD, so reckless running like in SA2 gets you killed.) but SA1 comes the closest to feeling like Sonic 1 and 2.

Ah. I could never get into that game as much as Sonic Advance 1 and 2, so I wasn't sure.

[Aerosol]

These threads always become "what's your favorite classic Sonic game?" threads.

If you hold it to the same standards as games today are held, it holds up just fine.

[Blades]

The cracks are showing, but any game released more than 20 years ago will do that.

Sonic 1 is very refined and I still like to run through the zones to this day.

[Dr. Corndog]

The backgrounds and scenery are the most noticeable shortcomings to me. That, and the special stage is a pain, but that could happen to any game.

The formula was refined in Sonic 2, but not every change was necessarily for the better. For one, Sonic 1 has a greater emphasis on platforming than most games in the series, which I like. Really, Sonic 1 is still fun today, not in spite of its differences, but because of them.

[Skyler]

If I lived in a parallel world where Sonic 1 was the only game in the series to ever come out, I would still enjoy it just as much as I do in this world. It's that good on its own.

[SpeedStarTMQ]

I can't say anything other than that Sonic The Hedgehog is a perfect game. In terms of how a game should be structured it's spot on.

I'm a retro gamer and I play retro games every day with the likes of the NES, SNES, GameBoy, Master System, Mega Drive, N64, Playstation, GameCube etc. Mostly every game I play on those consoles has aged in some way or another. Even the consoles hardware sometimes just doesn't do it justice. Super Mario Bros is quite a basic experience by today's Mario's, the graphics on most GameBoy games don't hold up well, the soundchip on SNES sounds weaker every time I play, Alex Kidd is just not fun to play nowadays, Mega Drive games in general often don't implement decent difficulty structuring, the N64's lack of video output leaves some games feeling incomplete, the PS graphics in general haven't aged well...

However, every generation, a few games are built so well (and on the right platform) that no matter when you go to play them, they feel and look as fresh as when they were released. One of those games, which I only played from 2008 onward is Ocarina of Time. Yes the graphics aren't top notch anymore, but it still looks like it should, and everything is distinguishable. The controls are great and even the lack of a camera stick feels fine.

Another of these rare games is Sonic The Hedgehog. Unlike Mario World which now looks flatter than paper, Sonic 1's art style is still pleasing, still fresh, could still look decent as a new indie game, and epitomizes the early 16BIT era of gaming with it's pixel perfect grass, pseudo-3D trees and varied and colourful landscapes.

The controls are perfect, the physics still revered and wanted for newer titles today, the level tropes are much more unique than later titles, the music is still catchy and sounds great, the SFX have become known as more arcade-like and retro in recent years and are often used on TV adverts and the like, and the whole concept of the game is still as appealing as it was back then too.

It also has less game breaking glitches than games afterwards, which is a bonus.

I often sit down and run through S1 on my Mega Drive, in 50htz, like a boss.

This post has been edited by SpeedStarTMQ: 04 February 2014 - 06:38 AM

[ICEknight]

SpeedStarTMQ, on 04 February 2014 - 05:03 AM, said:

I often sit down and run through S1 on my Mega Drive, in 50htz, like a boss.

Quote

the music is still catchy and sounds great slow

Fixed. =P

[SpeedStarTMQ]

True, but I like the nostalgia of it. Granted, I prefer the game 60htz on GCN but it's still nice

[Epsilonsama]

Now now, Sonic 1 is still a very good game. While compared to games like Sonic 2, 3&K and even CD it might feel a bit simpler, Sonic 1 is still a classic.

That being said the people that say Sonic 1 is the best in the series need to reconsider. Sonic 2 expanded everything from Sonic 1 and made Sonic much more fluid and dynamic. Sonic CD added exploration to the formula, which was cool IMO. Sonic 3&K expanded the series to feel more like an Adventure, the big and detailed worlds helped it.

[doc eggfan]

Yeah, 60Hz Sonic blew my mind when I first encountered it. So many memories are tied to the 50Hz version that 60Hz seems too fast to me at times.

[Epsilonsama]

doc eggfan, on 04 February 2014 - 03:00 PM, said:

Yeah, 60Hz Sonic blew my mind when I first encountered it. So many memories are tied to the 50Hz version that 60Hz seems too fast to me at times.

When I played 50Hz Sonic it feels sluggish as hell. Did most of the PAL region games run like this? I know of a couple of games that are optimized for 50Hz but I don't think most of them were.

[Hukos]

It holds up just fine.

Honestly I'd argue it's better than S2 but inferior to CD and 3&K.

I know not everyone cares to speedrun videogames, but even levels like Marble Zone and Labyrinth can be finished pretty quickly if you know what you're doing (Most acts don't take up more than 1-2 minutes each).

[.Luke]

Epsilonsama, on 04 February 2014 - 04:07 PM, said:

doc eggfan, on 04 February 2014 - 03:00 PM, said:

Yeah, 60Hz Sonic blew my mind when I first encountered it. So many memories are tied to the 50Hz version that 60Hz seems too fast to me at times.

When I played 50Hz Sonic it feels sluggish as hell. Did most of the PAL region games run like this? I know of a couple of games that are optimized for 50Hz but I don't think most of them were.

I don't think most games were affected by this, but Sonic 1 and CD were. I tried it once out of curiosity, and I'm still amazed people played them at that framerate, but I can't talk since I can manage Shantae at 50FPS on Lameboy for the DS. (Can't wait to get a 3DS so I can enjoy it at 60 on a portable.)

[gold lightning]

Honestly, Sonic 1 does hold up very much, imo. In fact, I'd say it holds up better than Sonic 2.

The level design in Sonic 1 actually makes you think. That, and the lack of extra abilities makes it stand out from the other classics. I also prefer Sonic 1's level design to every other game in the classic series except S3&K. I know a lot of people don't like places Labyrinth and Marble Zone, but I actually like how the game has a heavier emphasis on platforming and such.

Sonic 2 on the other hand, has very bland level design (in comparison). It also just doesn't seem to be as unique as the other games. CD had its high quality music and weirder levels. S3&K did everything Sonic 2 did, but added superb level design, even more abilities, and even took on a different art style.

My order of favorite classic Sonic games is S3&K > S1 > SCD > S2.

Oh, and before someone says anything. Just because I say something is my least favorite in a group doesn't necessarily mean I dislike or hate it. Sonic 2 is an example of this.

[SpeedStarTMQ]

To answer the region question: Yes, all PAL games are affected by the change. Sonic 1 is noticeable because the change also affects the speed of the music. Sonic 2, though physically as slow, isn't affected by the music change as much, though still is a tiny percent slower if one were to compare.

I once e-mailed Sam Powell, composer of the Mega Drive game Jurassic Park, and he advised me that he could have been given equipment for games in 60htz NTSC to not have pace changes when switched to 50. He was never given the equipment/know how to sort this, hence JP PAL sounds much slower (and more thrilling and tense) in my opinion.

Being as Sonic 1 was an early game, it may be that Sonic Team weren't well versed in this either. No one has really touched upon this much before.