Best and worst zones in the 2D games

S1
B: SLZ: so much fun, ossome music, plenty of secrets.
W: LZ: for so many reasons.

S2
B: OOZ: So many different routes and shortcuts.
W: WFZ: hate walking a tightrope over the chasm of doom (and yes I know, it can be skipped)

S3
B: ICZ: Music, setting, challenge, perfect
W: LBZ: too long, irritating mid-boss, act 2 that feels in no way related to act 1, especially with knuckles.

S&K
B: LRZ: quality music, plenty of secrets.
W: HPZ: pointless waste of a level.

 

It wasn't really a waste of a level when you consider that it was mostly made from recycled elements and was never meant to be a real level in the first place.

 

I just thought it could've been so much more, not hydrocity in length, but somthing a bit more challenging than "watch those spikes, find that spring, oh wait here's knuckles" or "find that teleporter, find another teleporter that's not that one, oh look you did it".

 

But that's all it was ever meant to be—a plot device. Knuckles came to defend the Chaos Emeralds from Sonic, who his good friend Robotnik had convinced him was after the Emeralds for malicious purposes. Of course, in a bizarre plot twist, Eggman turns around and steals the Master Emerald for himself! It signifies the turning point in the game where Knuckles realizes his true enemy and works to make amends.

And the best part is that it was all portrayed without a single line of dialogue! It's really cool when a fairly involved story can be inferred instead of spoken; it's one of the elements that made the game so great.

 

I think the reason is quite simply that they're slower than the rest of the game, which people always point to as a problem, right up until today with the Werehog. Sonic moves more sluggishly when underwater, and it can be frustrating when you really do need some speed to find a bubble, and he's ambling along.

 

Hidden Palace Zone is pointless only when you're playing as Knuckles. The whole zone is just a small area with nothing in it.

 

It's the act 1 style of Sky Sanctuary is all it is, really.

 

Sonic The Hedgehog:
Best: Green Hill Zone, Its the first zone, the easiest & most Iconic.
Worst: Labyrinth Zone, Easy to drown in, too slow, & when I was younger, the boss was hard!

Sonic The Hedgehog 2
Best: Emerald Hill Zone, The first & in my opinion, the fastest zone.
Best 2: Casino Night Zone, Three words.... Colorful Ring Bonanza!
Worst: Wing Fortress Zone, I used to fall of the stage so much.

Sonic The Hedgehog 3 (Sonic 3 & Knuckles part 1)
Best: All multiplayer zones, for wonderful music & being fast!
Best 2: Angel Island Zone, for changing its palette in the middle of the zone & its music.
Worst: Carnival Night Zone, all because of that dang spining red & white drum barrel thing!

Sonic & Knuckles (Sonic 3 & Knuckles part 2)
Best: Sky Santuary Zone, It's so epic!
Best 2: Death Egg Zone, also epic!
Best 3: Lava Reef Zone, Really neat music!
Worst: Sandopolis Zone Act 2: It takes too much time to complete.

Sonic CD
Best: Stardust Speedway Zone, Colorful & fast!
Best 2: Palmtree Panic Zone, Easiest zone!
Best 3: Tidal Tempest Zone, No matter which region you are in, the music is wonderful!
Worst: Wacky Workbench Zone, Bouncing + Electrocution = fail

Knuckles' Chaotix
Best: Isolated Island: It has the Tropical Island feel..
Best 2: Speed Slider: The fastest zone in the game!
Worst: Amazing Arena: Easy to get lost in..

 

Sonic the Hedgehog:
Best: Star Light Zone - Easly the best zone in the game. Great atmosphere, fantastic music, it's just great!
Worst: Spring Yard Zone - I like the music, but I don't like the atmoshpere there.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2:
Best: Casino Night Zone - Almost no enemies in this zone. It's very colorful, the music's great and it has those addicting slot machines (I can't get enough of them!). This zone is all about having fun.
Other great zones: Emerald Hill Zone and Chemical Plant Zone
Worst: Oil Ocean Zone - For me it's a boring zone and I don't like the concept too. It also doesn't have bottomless pits which means that you can be very cheap with the level.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3:
Best: Hydrocity Zone - This zone is my favourite of all so far. The music is awesome, the level is very fast and has a lot of variety.
Worst: Angel Island Zone - Weird choice but I just hate that 30 seconds after the begining of Act 1 the cool green palette changes into a puke yellow palette. I just hate that but other than that the zone is great.

Sonic & Knuckles:
Best: Death Egg Zone - A tough choice because I really like all of the levels in S&K. In the end DEZ is my favourite because it's very challenging and at the same time it's fun and the music is probably my favourite in S&K.
Worst: Sandopolis Zone - Again I really like all zone including this one. And no, it's not because of the Act 2 puzzle thing (IT"S EASY!). It's just my least favourite zone.

 

These are mine:

Sonic 1:
Best Zone- Starlight Zone. It is fun AND challenging, and it has good music.
Worst Zone- Marble Zone. It's a good level, but it is a little too difficult to be the second level, personally. But the music is pretty cool.

Sonic 2:
Best Zone: Casino Night. No more, no less.
Worst Zone: Mystic Cave. Zone is alright, the music just could be better.

Sonic 3:
Best Zone: Ice Cap Zone. Has water, snowboarding, loops, bridges, tunnels, swings...need I say more?
Worst Zone: Launch Base. Doesn't seem like an appropriate final level, especially act 1's music in the computer version...it sounded like it was someones birthday party gone bad or something.

Sonic and Knuckles:
Best Zone: Death Egg. This was what Sonic 2 AND 3 was missing; a good final zone that is fun and challenging! This time, the music MORE than matches the final level idea.
Worst Zone: Sandopolis. It wasn't bad, I just liked the other zones better!

Out of all of these, I like Casino Night best. It is fun beyond description...except for the boss.

 

You do know that S3 and S&K were supposed to be one game and that Launch Base isn't supposed to be a final level, right?

 

Oh. Well it just doesn't seem to fit in with other zone's music for me. But act 2 is pretty awesome, so it's just act 1 I don't like. It just doesn't seem like the music fits at all. The genesis version made the music sound WAAAY better, so I wish that they could've just remixed it on the computer version instead of making that version.

 

I always loved LBZ's music. I thought it was perfect for a last zone that isn't really a last zone. Granted, I never played through just Sonic 3.

 

Yeah, I really like it too especially Act 2 but for some reason I don't really like the level as the first one.

 

I'm not insulting it, the music just isn't my taste. So if everyone else enjoys it, I'm not saying they're wrong to enjoy it! I think that anyone can enjoy anything, and it's fine!

 

Sonic 1:

Best - Starlight Zone: Nice music, beautiful backgrounds.. what else is there to say apart from perfect?
Worst - Labyrinth Zone: I just genuinly hate the levels layout.. and the horrible idea of rising water

Sonic CD:
Best - Tidal Tempest Zone: Sweet music and unlike Labyrinth Zone, the level layout is far better.
Worst - Collision Chaos: ..I personally just think it's a bit annoying..

Sonic 2:
Best - Casino Night Zone: Awesome music and nice layout..
Worst - Metropolis: Plain and boring in my opinion.. they could had also improved with the music

Sonic 3:
Best - Chrome Gadget: Like the others which I've said I like.. Nice music and a great level in general..(it's a shame it was only a multiplayer level)
Worst - Launch Base Zone: ...Bleh... Horrible music and looked very bland..

Sonic & Knuckles:
Best - Flying Battery Zone: Just a fantastic zone.. need I say anything
Worst - ...To be honest, I can't think of any.. this game just seems a bit too good..

 

Sonic the Hedgehog
Best: Marble Zone. I think it's great, personally. There's always some way to keep moving over the lava-filled areas without having to resort to standing on floating blocks, and I actually like the music.
Worst: As much as I don't want to, I'll have to go with Labyrinth. My initial thoughts are Scrap Brain simply because of Act 3 being a departure from the first two, but I can't condemn an entire level because of a single act. As it stands, however, I'm not calling Labyrinth the "worst" level, but simply the "one I like least" (to get around the fact that I actually quite like it).

Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Best: Metropolis. Call me strange, but the idea of running on the spot to turn giant nuts is awesome. Also, the music. It creates a great atmosphere.
Worst: Hill Top. I simply never liked it as a level, mainly due to long periods of having to stand around waiting while sections of land rose/fell.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Best: Marble Garden. An odd choice, but I feel they actually got the element of rising and falling floors mostly right in this level (except for a moment in Act 2 where you speed through collapsing areas before having to stand still for a while as the ground adjusted itself). Also, whereas Hill Top bored me, this Zone succeeded in creating a mild feeling of urgency as I dashed madly to safe ground, in constant danger of getting lost or crushed. (A few years ago, I wouldn't've said this, however, but my feelings have changed over time.)
Worst: Another "level I don't quite like as much as the rest but don't actually loathe," Angel Island. I'm not sure why, but whereas with every other level I thought "great!~", with this it was more a case of dashing through it as quickly as possible to get to better levels.

Sonic & Knuckles
Best: Lava Reef. So much to see, so many places to go, and a giant corkscrew-like section somewhere in Act 1. But that's not why I like it, to be honest. It's the boss. You fall into what is essentially a new Act, it's calm and peaceful, then the Deat Egg flashes and all of a sudden it's flaming red and you're running for your life over collapsing platforms, escaping missiles. Also, the boss actually needs some skill, even though you essentially leave Eggman to destroy himself, due to timing your jumps to land on the next platform instead of arse-first into the bottom of a lava waterfall.
(Honourable mention to Mushroom Hill due to the changing palette and creative boss.)
Worst: Sandopolis. I was going to go with Sky Sanctuary, despite the very nice cutscene at the end, but on a scale of which is more of a chore to get through, Sandopolis comes out on top.

No opinions thus far regarding Sonic CD, as I rarely play it =P

 

That's too true. Act 1 and 2 I know it's quite easy to get past most lava pits, since there is usually an invincibility monitor nearby, or else the platforms are well within jumping range if you can keep your speed up while you're crossing them. There are 2 in act 2 like this that spring to mind for me almost immediately.

 

Instead of simply stating which are my most and least favorites, I'll list all of the zones from favorite to least favorite within their respective games.

Sonic 1

Scrap Brain Zone Act 1
Star Light Zone (all acts)
Scrap Brain Zone Act 2
Spring Yard Zone (all acts)
Green Hill Zone (all acts)
Labyrinth Zone (all acts) and Scrap Brain Zone Act 3
Marble Zone (all acts)

Sonic 2

Metropolis Zone
Casino Night Zone
Chemical Plant Zone
Oil Ocean Zone
Emerald Hill Zone
Hill Top Zone
Aquatic Ruin Zone
Mystic Cave Zone
Wing Fortress Zone
Sky Chase Zone
Death Egg Zone

Sonic 3 & Knuckles (As Sonic or Tails)

Hydrocity Act 2
Marble Garden Act 1
Flying Battery Act 1
Death Egg Act 2
Flying Battery Act 2
Death Egg Act 1
Ice Cap Act 1
Mushroom Hill Act 2
Mushroom Hill Act 1
Lava Reef Act 1
Lava Reef Act 2
Hydrocity Act 1
Ice Cap Act 2
Sandopolis Act 1
Sandopolis Act 2
Sky Sanctuary Zone
Carnival Night Act 1
Marble Garden Act 2
Launch Base Act 2
Angel Island Act 2
Launch Base Act 1
Angel Island Act 1
Carnival Night Act 2
Doomsday Zone
Hidden Palace Zone

Sonic 3D Blast
Panic Puppet Act 2
Gene Gadget Zone
Rusty Ruin Zone
Diamond Dust Zone
Panic Puppet Act 1
Volcano Valley Zone
Green Grove Zone
Spring Yard Zone

 

Sonic The Hedgehog:
Best: Star Light Zone
Worst: Labyrinth Zone

Sonic The Hedgehog 2:
Best: Metropolis Zone
Worst: Oil Ocean Zone

Sonic The Hedgehog 3:
Best: Ice Cap Zone
Worst: Marble Garden Zone

Sonic & Knuckles:
Best: Flying Battery Zone
Worst: Sandopolis Zone

Sonic CD:
Best: Quartz Quadrant
Worst: Wacky Workbench

Sonic The Hedgehog (8bit version):
Best: Bridge Zone
Worst: Labyrinth Zone

Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (8bit version):
Best: Gimmick Mt.
Worst: Scrambled Egg

Sonic The Hedgehog Chaos:
Best: Gigapolis Zone
Worst: Sleeping Egg Zone

Sonic Triple Trouble:
Best: Sunset Park Zone
Worst: Tidal Plant Zone

Sonic Pocket Adventure:
Best: Gigantic Angel Zone
Worst: Aerobase Zone

Sonic Advance:
Best: Secret Base Zone
Worst: Egg Rocket Zone

Sonic Advance 2:
Best: Leaf Forest Zone
Worst: Sky Canyon Zone

Sonic Advance 3:
Best: Twinkle Snow Zone
Worst: Route 99 Zone

Sonic Rush:
Best: Dead Line Zone
Worst: Altitude Limit Zone

Sonic Rush Adventure:
Best: Sky Babylon Zone
Worst: Coral Cave Zone