Many times over seconding this. Don't get me wrong, I totally get why the Sonic 3 tracks naturally get mentioned most frequently, since the original soundtrack is so widely loved and the proto tracks (At least the ones played in levels.) were handled so badly, not to mention the game got the fuzziest, most muffled audio out of all the games. Sonic 3 & Knuckles taking the top spot of audio complaints is fully understandable. That being said however, audio quality absolutely needs improving across the board. It's unacceptably low quality in every game and to brand that as part of something officially called "remastered" and particularly "definitive" in marketing videos is a fucking joke. Not only that, audio level balancing requires a major overhaul; I cannot stress enough just how bad the volume inconsistencies are in Sonic CD specifically, I don't know what the fuck went wrong in this specific game, but everything from the cutscene audio to the level tracks need serious fine-tuning. It's like they rushed to bulk batch-process all audio files using a bog-standard decibel normalisation tool, without any human tweaking whatsoever afterwards. The intro animation's audio is comically, bafflingly loud compared to the level music which plays directly afterwards, and the gameplay tracks are all over the shop too. Also, why the hell are the proper loop points missing in this edition of Sonic CD? I really hope these glaring problems end up being fixed in a free patch, alongside paid-for content which is actually substantial additional content, and not just paywalled bug fixes. Hoping very much for a Sonic Mania Plus type scenario here.
I also play it pretty regularly and it’s a cool novelty but I don’t think a lot of people actually understand how poorly the game feels until you get good at it.
Because it's an interesting piece of Sonic game history that's been abandoned for over close to 30 years and is difficult to play by any means, official or otherwise. Chaotix sucks. I've beaten it both with an official cart and via emulator. But it exists, it has appeal to fans through novelty alone and is worth it for that at least.
I don't think it's anywhere near as good as the rest of the classics. It's more the lack of ANY official release since 95 that's beyond ridiculous at this point. A lot of people love the characters and they should get to play the game they originated from. Just because it's not great doesn't mean it should be lost. It's not Sonic 06 tier bad either. I'd put it either below or about on par with vanilla 3D Blast myself. (Though the enhanced version is definitely an improvement, if only it had a Saturn version...)
Yeah, the game fucking stinks but I would still like to see it leave its prison 32X and Gametap. Any good collection should have the oddity or two to round it out the package. Chaotix would be sick if this new update featured online multiplayer for all games. Then the true awful nature of Chaotix can be unlocked.
If it gets added, I can only imagine some kid booting it up expecting an experience just as delightful as the rest of the collection's games, only to realize "This shit blows" 10 minutes in. But yeah, I wouldn't mind having Chaotix in there. See no reason not to include it considering the game's music is literally already in the collection.
Kids + - and Sonic fans lap up any shit if it's about something they like. I defended Chaotix to the nth back in the day on Cult when I was 10 out 11 years old. Not everyone, but it would make some people very happy. There's something to be enjoyed about novelties like Chaotix. And, you know, some people might genuinely like it too.
I know, I was just joking around lol. I loved 06 as a kid, I should know better than anyone that of course there would be plenty of kids who would love Chaotix if they were given a proper introduction to it.
I hope it gets added so its reputation can be undeservedly rehabilitated the way Sonic 06's currently is.
And here I thought that after that korean slide SEGA would be quick at officializing the thing, possibly throwing a couple hints at what to expect... Guess I was wrong...unfortunately... ^^"
Chaotix is never gonna be a great game, but they could definitely make it more tolerable by nixing the weird stage roulette, giving you the ol' Origins special stage retries and the like.
Special Stages are the best thing about Chaotix as far as gameplay is concerned. They're one of my favourite Special Stages in the series. Anyway, I think Chaotix is a real stretch for Origins Plus. If any more games are going to get added, 3D and Spinball seem more likely. Spinball I couldn't give a shit about one way or another, but that's a decent game hiding somewhere in 3D. The Saturn version has the superior visuals, Special Stage and soundtrack, no contest. And I grew up with the PC version personally, which is the same save for the S2 style Special Stages instead. The pipe dream would be a Director's Cut of the Saturn in vein of Jon Burton's own mod, but that'll never happen. I don't think 3D has enough of a pull for anything other than an emulator.
I thought Chaotix was a fine game when I played it for the first time last year. Not great, not bad, just fine. I think the art, music, and special stages were all fantastic, and I think the tether mechanic allows for some super interesting gameplay techniques. However, the actual stage design and general game progression lets it down. IMO, the game would need a ground up remake from either Sega or a fan to fulfill its potential. Even a RE remake wouldn’t suffice. Cut the excessive acts and add a few more zones, make the tether feel a bit more predictable in its execution, rethink the whole zone roulette and combi catcher, etc. As is, I still think the game would be a nice addition to the collection though.
You know what? Chaotix has a very steep learning curve, and not a very high reward for when you do learn it since the problems of weird stage design and mediocre bosses remain. But unlike other mediocre games, it is heavily reliant on physics and can absolutely be impressive to watch when played by a skilled player. I've been playing it (on real hardware) since 2000, so I'll just say this once... It's fun once you master it and learn the tricks. Speedrunning it (minus charmy, especially) is an underappreciated art. git gud guys
