First Time Sonic

[Pink Gregory]

So I've been playing Sonic the Hedgehog for the first time in my 31 years upon this earth.

It's really been a gap in my knowledge.  I started off with a gifted SNES from a family friend's son, and my first (ever) platformer was Donkey Kong Country 2.  Didn't encounter Mario until much later (Super Mario World on the GBA), though I did get a poke at Super Mario Bros on an NES kept in a cupboard at this weird christian youth club my mum made me go to.

Had a few goes on it but never persevered further than, like, Green Hill Zone Act 2.  I didn't really get it, from its reputation.  You could go fast, but you couldn't see what you were doing, it was a bit flow breaking to get all the rings, I didn't get it at all.

But now I think I have.  Far from being loose it's surprisingly precise once you start to understand its rules.  Collecting rings basically doesn't matter, backtracking for 10 rings doesn't meaningfully change my enjoyment of the game.  You *can* react quickly enough to changes in the environment and it's so forgiving as long as you have one ring that you won't really be stopped by anything short of the bottom of the level.

Only got to Marble Zone so far and for what are probably small levels they feel expansive and fairly intricate, and a surprising change from the straightforward Green Hill Zone.

Looking forward to catching up, basically.

[PlanktonSideburns]

yea it's well good, lovely level design, and each of the first four games are just a little better than the last

[bgmnts]

The music is ace that's my only input cheers.

[PlanktonSideburns]

Yea tunes are ace

That fuckin 100psi springloaded FM SLAP BASS in chemical plant zone

The fuckin jungle marimba on angel island

Aargh

[samadriel]

WHAT THE FUCK IS A SONIC?

[Magnum Valentino]

Yea tunes are ace

That fuckin 100psi springloaded FM SLAP BASS in chemical plant zone

The fuckin jungle marimba on angel island

Aargh

My favourite Youtube channel is a lad who takes all the tracks from these songs and plays about with them in isolation and in unique combinations before putting it all back together to enorormous satisfaction.

Here are his videos for both these tracks.

[PlanktonSideburns]

My favourite Youtube channel is a lad who takes all the tracks from these songs and plays about with them in isolation and in unique combinations before putting it all back together to enorormous satisfaction.

Here are his videos for both these tracks.

Yes! Was watching these with someone I'm making some game music with art the moment, they're ace aren't they? They highlight the genius things you have to do with all the limited channels and that

The dynamite headdy ones in particular, doing neat little things with planning to get more channels, switching stuff round

[PlanktonSideburns]

Greg, if you can be arsed, I would love to hear your running commentary of how you're finding sonic with new eyes

Love these games but there games i player as a lonely child so maybe there's not as perfect as I think

[Poobum]

Still find Labyrinth Zone stressful when I play. Marble Zone is my fave, love bouncing around like a mad 'un.

Future suggestion, if you not played it, Lion King on Megadrive. Very good.

[Pink Gregory]

Greg, if you can be arsed, I would love to hear your running commentary of how you're finding sonic with new eyes

Love these games but there games i player as a lonely child so maybe there's not as perfect as I think

i'll try, only got the Mega Drive collection on the ol' PS3 though, so it doesn't come out that often.  Should definitely make an effort though.

[madhair60]

Lion King on Mega Drive is shit.

[Brundle-Fly]

Not to rain on the parade ...

https://www.cracked.com/article_30626_sonics-greatest-soundtracks-were-ripped-from-famous-pop-songs.html

[Poobum]

Lion King on Mega Drive is the shit.

I know, it's brill.

[madhair60]

imagine playing the second level of The Lion King on Mega Drive and going "this is brill"

[Kelvin]

imagine playing the second level of The Lion King on Mega Drive and going "this is brill"

Is it really that bad? I completely the SNES version regularly as a kid, and without any guides or cheats. Watching a video on youtube, its just a big puzzle. Work out what throws you where, roar at a few animals to switch their direction? And once you know the pattern, it would be even easier next time.

[willbo]

I really like Sonic Generations. I thought that was a really addictive and fun game.

[Magnum Valentino]

Not to rain on the parade ...

https://www.cracked.com/article_30626_sonics-greatest-soundtracks-were-ripped-from-famous-pop-songs.html

[madhair60]

Is it really that bad? I completely the SNES version regularly as a kid, and without any guides or cheats. Watching a video on youtube, its just a big puzzle. Work out what throws you where, roar at a few animals to switch their direction? And once you know the pattern, it would be even easier next time.

It's just really boring and rubbish. Even worse on SNES, somehow (not warring, most multi-plats used the Mega Drive as lead platform). Genuinely glad everyone likes it though, there are loads of games I like that are deemed a load of old wank, it's only fair I get it back.

[elliszeroed]

Sonic 1 was a decent plaformer with speed, but also puzzles and complicated level design. Sonic 2 (I still remember Gamesmaster magazine only giving it 65% heresy!) was a lot more linear and focused a lot more on speed. Me and a mate completed it on my birthday. I got it for my birthday. I didn't tell my parents for a few weeks because they would have been pissed off that it didn't last that long.

[thelittlemango]

Has anyone revisited Sonic Adventure in recent years? I have fond nostaligia of taking my chaos to school on the VMU and raising them, and how it felt quite immersive, but have a feeling if I actually played it again it would be pure dog egg.

Speaking of dog egg, the worst Sonic I've played was Sonic Jam on the Game.com (I've talked before about my experiences owning this justifiably maligned handheld). Firstly it's on a black and white screen so you lose all the vibrancy of Sonic, and secondly the framerate is woeful and it feels so clumsy that you don't even get to enjoy flinging a speeding hedgehog gracefully around levels, and without that there's just a feeling of hard earned pocket money misspent.

This review sums it up well:

https://www.sonicstadium.org/2014/06/sonic-on-the-go-sonic-jam-on-the-game-com/

[oggyraiding]

I revisited the Sonic Adventure port on Xbox. There's a very hard to avoid bug on the very first stage which drops you into the water instead of going around a loop. Never a good sign to have such a massive bug on the first level. I like the open world areas, there is quite a lot of content, but at the same time the Amy, E102, and Big levels are mostly terrible. I find the first Adventure to be a more interesting game, but I'd rather play Adventure 2 as it's more fun, given the choice between the two.

Also as far as Sonic music goes, 2006 had some bangers.

[Kelvin]

A timeline.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

Sonic < Mario <<<<<<< Donkey Kong Country. Prove me wrong.

Here is a developer talking about some of the techniques and clever bodges they used to get seemingly impossible effects out of the hardware.

[Jerzy Bondov]

I revisited the Sonic Adventure port on Xbox. There's a very hard to avoid bug on the very first stage which drops you into the water instead of going around a loop. Never a good sign to have such a massive bug on the first level. I like the open world areas, there is quite a lot of content, but at the same time the Amy, E102, and Big levels are mostly terrible. I find the first Adventure to be a more interesting game, but I'd rather play Adventure 2 as it's more fun, given the choice between the two

I far prefer Sonic Adventure to the sequel. Losing the Tails, Amy and Big gameplay in favour of doubling up on the E102 and Knuckles, plus splitting it evenly between the three styles instead of having Sonic's gameplay being the main one, totally ruins the balance and just leaves you with a game that's two thirds shit. SA1 is more interesting, you're right, but I think it's way more fun too.

[Norton Canes]

Just fired this up on an emulator and have been playing it for the last hour or so for the first time since my layabout dole scum days thirty years ago. Man, with this and the 1992 TOTP repeats I just have to fill the sink with a week's worth of unwashed pans and crockery for that fully authentic feel.

Also got as far as Marble Zone 1. From what I can remember Green Hill and Marble Zone are both stratified - you can take the undemanding 'ground level' route, or if you're feeling ambitious, either bounce through the huge clouds of rings, or go underground to seek out challenging caverns.

Think I got as far as the 'Industrial Circus' type levels back in the day. Trouble is now it just makes me feel dizzy and nauseous. 

Just one more go...

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

I used to have the drowning music as my morning alarm on my phone. It worked, but I had to stop using it, as it was too stressful waking up in a blind panic every day.

[Magnum Valentino]

I didn't teach for long (hated it), but I've a very fond memory of talking to a wee girl in one of my classes of about 11 or 12 when I was training in England about that hovering vertical cylinder in the Carnival Night zone (in 3) that completely flummoxed me when I was her age and rented the game from Xtra-Vision. To be able to find common ground with a child 20 years later over the same piece of unintuitive once-in-a-game physics was extraordinarily affirming.

I'm not sure where she even got her hands on Sonic 3 as in 2016 it was usually left off most of those compilation discs for PS3 and PS4 generations because of rights, wasn't it?

[Mister Six]

NONCE THREAD.

[Spiteface]

I didn't teach for long (hated it), but I've a very fond memory of talking to a wee girl in one of my classes of about 11 or 12 when I was training in England about that hovering vertical cylinder in the Carnival Night zone (in 3) that completely flummoxed me when I was her age and rented the game from Xtra-Vision. To be able to find common ground with a child 20 years later over the same piece of unintuitive once-in-a-game physics was extraordinarily affirming.

I'm not sure where she even got her hands on Sonic 3 as in 2016 it was usually left off most of those compilation discs for PS3 and PS4 generations because of rights, wasn't it?

Probably the whole Michael Jackson thing.

A shame, as Sonic 3 & Knuckles really is the peak of Sonic. A game I come back to over and over again.

[brat-sampson]

The best Sonic game is Sonic Mania.