I disagree, but I can honestly understand why someone would prefer how episode 2 looks. SOmething about episode 2 feels just, off to me in a way superstars doesnt, i guess
Sonic CD is a much more enjoyable game than Sonic 2 and I genuinely enjoy Wacky Workbench more than some Sonic 2 levels.
It is a pretty fantastic soundtrack, it’s been years so I’m gonna have to give it another play so I can decide whether I agree totally with the opinion. =P
Counterpoint: 3D Flickies Island has the worst OST of any of the mainline Mega Drive games. Tbh, I think it's purely the soundfont that makes me dislike it so much. Almost every track sounds like it was made using "circus" instruments, and that vibe carries through much of the soundtrack. Arrangements of the soundtrack, such as this in SA1, typically sound great.
Genesis 3D Blast is so wildly inconsistent IMO, between tracks that sound as you say for the spring level to the absolutely excellent Volcano Valley, Rusty Ruin, and Panic Puppet. I mean, some of this is because the OST had different people on it - surprise, it's Senoue doing the tracks that kind of suck (except for Panic Puppet) while Tatsuyuki Maeda absolutely crushed it. Volcano Valley Act 2 is so moody. It's easily one of my favorite Genesis-era tracks.
I think both the Genesis and Saturn OSTs are really good. Genesis version's only true weak spot for me is Spring Stadium, while for the Saturn version it's probably Volcano Valley (..and act 2 of Spring Stadium). Saturn version wins for me, but not by a lot. The final boss and credits music in the Genesis version are probably the best songs from the Genesis games, barring CD. Masaru Setsumaru tore it up.
Both versions of the 3D OST have their ups and downs for me. Green Grove - Saturn Rusty Ruin - Saturn Spring Stadium - Saturn, but only the first act Diamond Dust - Genesis Volcano Valley - Genesis Gene Gadget - Genesis Panic Puppet - Either, but Genesis act 2 is the BEST
I really like the OST of Sonic 3D for Mega Drive, too. I played the Saturn version years later which was touted as having the superior soundtrack by others I knew, but I feel the new OST by Richard Jacques (whose work on Sonic R I love) really didn't fit the game.
I guess I would agree that Jacques soundtrack doesn't really fit the visuals, but atmospherically for what the levels are supposed to be, I think it works just fine.
No wonder so much Sonic ROM hacks from 2000-2014 used its OST (Knuckles' Chaotix too!). I lost the count how many times I've heard Green Groove in Green Hill or Rusty Ruins in Marble Zone. I remember people used to use a lot of Ristar too.
Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island is some of the most stunning music that's been made for the system. It's a very late game and it shows - by this point, composers know how to make the soundchip sing. It's night and day compared to an early title like say... Flicky. =P
I love the Genesis's Diamond Dust Act 2 theme: As for the scrapped songs, you have the song that would be used for Pleasure Castle in Sonic Adventure on one end, and Sonic 4's boss theme on the other.
While I understand that the downgraded emerald radar is a genuine issue, I personally think Knuckles SA2 stages are just as good as Sonic and Shadows and deserve more love. Personally, I think the ideal solution to add more difficulty and length to the stages would be to add 2 more emerald shards instead of nerfing the radar. On a casual playthrough of SA2 where you aren't replaying his stages a lot (which a lot of the people who dislike them won't do unless they're completionists), you don't get to see a lot of the interesting hiding spots and fun aspects of the stages and miss out on a lot of their charm. I understand that this doesn't matter as much if you do replay them and that they are that way for a reason, but I think we should have seen just a bit more of the level in each run of the stage. I should also mention that I think it's an entirely different story trying to A-rank his stages with the nerfed radar, which is far more annoying. I am a huge sucker for atmosphere and exploration working together in levels and love Sonic CD for the same reason, so I may be biased but I just adore the atmosphere of his levels that unintentionally play on his themes of being alone. It's probably just headcanon, but I have always felt like the reason Knuckles' levels in SA2 mostly include Ghosts and creepy theming is because of his feelings towards his role as the Master Emerald's guardian and feelings towards his long-forgotten tribe. A Canyon full of long-forgotten ruins, a ghost-filled haunted mountain range, a long-forgotten haunted mine, an ancient temple full of death traps and spirits, even Meteor Herd has a very solitary feel with Knuckles being far from the rest of the crew. I specifically think an underrated aspect of Knuckles' character is his fear. I have always thought that Knuckles has a distinct and constant anxiety mostly due to his purpose in life being to protect the Master Emerald. If he were to ever fail, not only would he have failed his people, he would lose his purpose. I think that this is best shown by the theming of his levels and hinted at by the ghosts that constantly plague him (though I guess that part is most likely a little bit of headcanon too). The music also really goes along with this even though it's most likely also not intentional. Kick the Rock is focused on his current thoughts about Rouge and his duty to protect the Master Emerald. A Ghost's Pumpkin Soup is focused on his determination to push along despite the creepy things happening around him. Dive into The Mellow plays on this very well, it heavily emphasizes his feelings about his mission and how he sometimes doubts that mission but pushes on despite it. Deeper is focused on Knuckles accepting Sonic's help and being part of a team, something that challenges the solitary and determined nature that pushes him to try to accomplish things on his own. Space Trip Steps has lyrics that while focusing on Knuckles' mission and duty, also focus on his gratefulness for having trusted friends with him during the mission. For me, these songs function as a great dive into Knuckles' character, and the atmosphere these tracks create enhances the levels tenfold. Overall I just really love his stages for their atmosphere and level design, they have a lot of value that doesn't get mentioned enough.
Trip's story isn't particularly difficult, y'all are just bad at games. Or maybe you started Trip's story before collecting all the emeralds in which case I can only ask why Super forms are there for a reason, IMO. Take advantage of them when you can.
that's a nice bunch of rings you've got there haha it'd be a shame if a bunch of badniks and hazards made you lose them lol
I'm sure that's part of it. But Trip's Story is technically still part of the main game progression, and you need to complete it to unlock the final boss. If it was optional a lot less people would have issues with it, I'm sure
