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The Sonic Classics
Topic Started: May 14 2007, 09:55 PM (657 Views)
Changeling
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There has been a bit of discussion lately, in the "Kingdom Hearts: Organization" thread of all things, about the classic games of the Sonic the Hedgehog game franchise. By this, I am talking about the games that made Sonic what it is today, and the undisputed Kings of the entire continuity.

Sonic the Hedgehog, released 1991.

Sonic CD, released 1993.

Sonic 2, released 1992.

Sonic 3 and Knuckles, released 1994.

These giants have yet to be surpassed by any Sonic game following, at least in my humble opinion. I have, and always will be, a fan and avid player of the Fab Four, especially Sonic 3 and Knuckles.

I am leaving this thread open for discussion right now, before I weigh in my thoughts. Everything from favorite zones and original betas would be wonderful to talk about. For now, I am only having the Fab Four as the Sonic Classics. They deserve their own topic.
To walk with Him is to walk in light. The Lord is my light and my salvation--who shall I fear? ~Psalm 27:1

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SoniCalvin
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My favourite level out of all of the old Sonic games would have to be Ice Cap. Why? I only have one sole reason for why it's my fave.

...The music. Not the snowboarding, or the snow, or the Badniks, or any of the bosses in it. The music. Pure genius.
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Changeling
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Yes. The music of Ice Cap Zone. Great minds must think alike, Soni. I love that zone for the exact same reasons. It's why I love it despite the fact Tails can fall into traps there. ^_^

My most hated zone? Sandopolis. The music gets annoying, fast, and the stupid ghosts make me want to scream. That is certainly one zone I could live without in Sonic 3 and Knuckles or Sonic and Knuckles.
To walk with Him is to walk in light. The Lord is my light and my salvation--who shall I fear? ~Psalm 27:1

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I used to be a REALLY huge Sonic the hedgehog fan, but the games have changed so much that I think they've lost that passion. Sonic 2 and the Sonic 3-knux games have to be Sonic's high point in my opinion. Another great sonic game that was overlooked was SonicCD.

I think its the worlds that the old games immersed the gamer in, I wonder why Yuji Naka took a different direction by trying to add quite a bit of realism to the games, whereas Mario and Crash Bandicoot have kept their spark and their looks. :(
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dl316bh
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FEAR THE SIX MILE LONG POST! @_@

I know this is just about the classics, but I'm gonna say a few things on a couple of the later games here and there.

Soni may disagree with me, but I pretty much point at any post-Sonic Adventure 2 Sonic game as the point where the franchise went downhill. Seriously, Shadow the Hedgehog sucked, next gen Sonic was glitchy as hell and had human-animal relationships of all things, the Advance games had terrible level design and in general, it's like a great big meh. Actually, level design in general has taken a pretty big hit post Sonic Adventure 2.

My favorite of the games has to be Sonic the Hedgehog 2, by far. It's quite possibly the most colorful of the games, and upped on it's predecessor in every way. The worlds were more inventive, the enemies were quite inspired, with special ones for each zone, the bosses got more and more challenging, the music was phenominal and the game has quite possibly the greatest level design in the entire franchise. Seriously, it's a gem of a game, and a true classic.

Another one up there has to be Sonic CD. It was a step up from the regular Sega Genesis, and was really the only game on the Sega CD to really make the purchase worth it. The music was phenominal, taking advantage of the extra space, and the levels were just as fantastically inspired as Sonic 2's. The time travel aspect in particular was just fantastic and worked seamlessly. Seriously, it was a plus to the game instead of a detraction. It also had some of the better bosses in the series, and is pretty neck a neck with Sonic 2. It's pretty hard to get a hold of these days, as the Sega CD isn't exactly a common system, but it can be found on the Sonic Gems Collection for the Nintendo Gamecube, quite cheap, and is worth the change.

Sonic Adventure 2 was where I started taking major offense to the franchise. Many of the glitches that were in Adventure 1 could be explained away. The 3D systems were just being worked out. Fine. But it only holds water for so long. Honestly, whenever I'd get to a fun mission, I'd get to on that would make me want to throw something. The emerald hunting missions are the worst by a slim margin. You can only track one emerald at a time, no matter how close you are to another one. This is completely unlike it's predecessor, and completely drains the fun. Oh! You just floated past an emerald! Too bad you didn't know because your emerald radar was bleeping for a completely different emerald shard! Seriously, it sucked so badly. Then when you'd get to the running section, you hit another snag. The level design. Yeah, it felt more like the original way of doing things, except even the original had diverging paths! The level design took a hit right about here folks.

Now, back to business. One of the things about Sonic 2 in particular that dissapointed me was the stuff that was cut out. The Hidden Palace Zone, seen in promotional commercials before the game was released, was canned. There was also a wooden level and a city level that got dropped. Plus rumors of a desert level. Not to mention Tails. I honestly think that with the flying bit not in the game except for when Tails is in follow mode, it reeks of a cut feature. This stuff makes me wonder if Sonic 2 wasn't rushed out the door a bit.

Either way, there is a way to play some of the lost stuff. Emulation. There's a project where a user has taken the beta ROM, with all the unused sprites and unfinished levels, and recreated the levels, finishing off what wasn't completed. The recreated and finished levels are actually pretty decent, though level design could use some plosih here and there, especially in "Wood Zone".

I don't know if I'm going against any rule with this, but I suppose I'll wing it. If I screwed up, no harm done. Easy cleanup. If you want to download the ROM, here's the link to it's site:

Sonic 2 Long Version ROM page

Just a note about emulation. You have to download the proper emulators (for the Genesis, I reccomend GENS), which acts as a program that mimics the original console. You can customize the controls to any keys you want, and then you just load up the ROM and go. Keep in mind, this is only legal if you own the original game. If you do not, you can leagally keep the downloaded ROM for twenty-four hours before you must delete it. It's intended more as a backup, along with cool hacks. If you own Sonic 2 in some way, you're good. If not, use at your own risk (though it isn't exactly like anyone will actually care). Emulation does have a point to it besides backup. The emulators allow you to up the graphics with several options, so you can play the game of a dusty old cart in some smoother visuals. It has it's advantages.

Either way, back on track. One of my all time favorite zones is probably Casino Night Zone from Sonic 2. That one always dazzled me, even years ago when the game first came out. The bumpers, the slots, the colorful sprites, the enemy's. It really sucked me in, and I sometimes find myself playing 2 again just to get to the Casino Night Zone.

All time favorite music from the series has got to be either "Sky High Zone" from Sonic 2 or "Ice Cap Zone" from Sonic 3. Both are pure excellence and made of epic win. Something about Sky High Zone just entrances me as far as the music goes. It's kind of peaceful...

Favorite character to use? Tails. From Sonic 3 & Knuckles. Seriously, the little fox boy could not have been any more fun to play. I swear I'd be dicking around the levels so much I'd get a "Time Over" death because I wasted too much time exploring every nook and cranny of all the levels. I still do that, in case I missed something.

I don't exactly have a second favorite. It's more of a tie between Sonic and Knuckles. Both had great playing styles. If I had to choose one, I'd go with Sonic. The flame sheilds double jump attack just simply pwns.

Dirty Little Secret: I'm actually not a horribly big fan of Shadow. I don't know what it is about him, but he honestly kinda irritated me. I've always kinda felt he was rather insignificant in the scheme of excellent Sonic characters. Like, way down on the swarthy end. Just didn't interest me and felt kinda worthless in retrospection to the franchise. They could have gone on without him, yet they chose not to and brought him back for Heroes (another mess of a game).

I apologize from rambling here and there to discuss a point or two on the later concepts. I should have kept it directly on focus, but sometimes I'm bad at that. ^^;;;

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My most hated zone? Sandopolis. The music gets annoying, fast, and the stupid ghosts make me want to scream.


Sandapolis makes me go into overdrive. Seriously. When I'm forced to go through there, I'm on a mission. Full bore to the exits. It's definitely my most hated from Sonic 3 & Knuckles.

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think its the worlds that the old games immersed the gamer in, I wonder why Yuji Naka took a different direction by trying to add quite a bit of realism to the games, whereas Mario and Crash Bandicoot have kept their spark and their looks.


Well, you've got to look at it this way. The look had to change in a way for the 3D transition. I honestly believed this worked with the original Sonic Adventure. I think that the first one was as close as they have come to a really fun 3D Sonic game. Part of the problem past Adventure is shoddy level design. Around there is where the level design took a plummet in general.

In general, the idea would have worked. Had they refined the stuff instead of made it worse. It's still salvagable. But I'm not sure how much of Sonic's former reputation for great gaming is still available to revive.

And the plumber has taken his strides, but he's taken a bump too. Not as many like Sunshine as I thought. I actually loved the game, but to each his own. Crash Bandicoot in general hasn lost a lot of things. They aren't doing very good and haven't since the franchise left Naughty Dog. So niether of those two are in shape right this minute.
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*huggles DL* It's nice to see a fellow Tails-user here on the boards. ^_^

I think you did a wonderful job staying on focus. Really, who can't help but compare the gems of the Sonic franchise to the duds we have now? I apologize to those who think otherwise about the current Sonic games but I'm pretty much old-school when it comes to that.

Anyway, here is my uber-long post. I suppose you could fear it, too.

It was 1994. I watched the Sonic cartoon on Saturday morning, each and every week, which is commonly known as SatAM. I quickly became a fan, from the get-go, and this is the game I most often played on the playground with the boys. Yeah, I'm a tomboy, so sue me. We ran around and saved the day, basically. I was always my favorite character, Tails, there and at home when I played the same thing with my younger sisters.

So what does that have to do with anything? I'm rambling, maybe, but it does have a point.

It is because of the cartoon, and the subsequent "adventures" I had with friends and family while using my imagination, that I learned about the Sonic video game franchise. I saw it in toy stores. I saw kids playing it, talking about it, and I became excited. I wanted to play. So, for Christmas, I asked for a Genesis system and the upcoming monster of monsters, Sonic 3.

I swear, the boys and I talked about that puppy for weeks before its release. I may have been one of the only ones who actually got it.

So, yes, I did get it. Along with the Genesis system, I got a free copy of Sonic and Knuckles. I was surprised to find there was a lock-on feature, which made a pretty long game in comparison to the two seperated. I did not find out until much later that the two had originally meant to be one game, Sonic 3 and Knuckles, but time limits and cartridge costs had driven an early release for Sonic 3.

An interesting tidbit. Sonic 3 and Knuckles was the first to introduce the said "lock-on" technology. I do not think it was ever used again.

Now that I am finally on topic, which some of you may be grateful for, I will try to explain why I love the classics.

I have played each of the classics except for one. Sonic CD. I would love to play it, because I have heard that it is an exceptional game, but I never did own a Sega CD system, nor do I have a Gamecube so I can buy Sonic Gems. That aside, however, I still think I am qualified to expound on just how much I adore the Fab Four of the Sonic game franchise.

I played the first Sonic game in my mother's classroom. It was on a Sega game that had about six games in total. I may have missed the mark by several years, since it was released in 1991 and I was playing it after I had Sonic 3 and Knuckles, but I knew I was seeing somethig special. The speed of the gameplay was a breakthrough, especially for the period Sonic 1 was released. So was his manner of attacking. Spin-dashes, bouncing on enemies, running loops in only seconds...yes, it was face-paced and fun. Your palms sweated just to keep up with the little blue hedgehog. And who can't help but love pounding on the fat man? Other than Santa, I mean. ^_^

Sonic 2 I finally got to play only a couple of years ago, when I bought the Mega Collection for my PS2. Up until this point, I had only seen it on the Internet as screenshots, and had heard nothing but good reviews.

DL has pretty much said what needs to be said about that game. It is certainly one of my favorite games, and that includes all I have played, and in a close race with Sonic 3 and Knuckles as my favorite of the Sonic franchise. The levels are challenging and colorful. The enemy design is creative, as are the bosses. And the music...yes, the music. Some of the best I have ever heard in a video game. Sky High Zone, I'm looking at you. I also love the Aquatic Ruin Zone. It's so pretty looking...

Like any game, it does have its faults. Several interesting levels were cut from the final game, such as the Hidden Palace and the rumored desert zone that probably got retconned into something terrible. I'll talk about that later. Another thing that just looks like a cut is Tails. He can fly when he is following along but, in single-player mode, he just can't. Why is that? Tails is supposed to fly, after all. It can be frustrating coming to a point where he could have flown to overcome the obstacle. Instead, he plays too much like Sonic for my tastes.

And now to the mother of all Sonic games, at least in my opinion. DL adores Sonic CD and Sonic 2 (the latter for which I cannot blame him, I love it, too). I adore Sonic 3 and Knuckles, my very first video game, period.

As I have mentioned before, S3&K was a breakthrough in more ways than one. It was one of the longest games until that point, thanks to the lock-on technology, and the zones were much larger than in previous games. There were more Badniks, more areas to explore, and a storyline if you looked close-enough. It was also the entrance of Knuckles the Echidna into the Sonic franchise, for which my sis will never cease to be grateful for. It is this game where we first see Super/Turbo Tails, whichever you prefer, and his attack Flickies, as well as Hyper Sonic and Super-Hyper Knuckles. Think the game is fast-paced while they are normal. Try these titans on for size...Another plus is that each act in each zone offers a different route for a certain character. That is fun. And Tails can fly. And airlift. And swim. That is always a plus in my book.

More on that later.

My favorite zones from S3&K would have to be the second act of Hydrocity, which looked like a ruined city I would have loved to explore in greater depth, and Ice Cap Zone. The music of Ice Cap is one of the best in the entire franchise. No joke. It will make you want to dance or, if not that, at least nod your head and tap your foot. I will play Sonic 3 and Knuckles just to get to that zone and hear the music, much like DL will play Sonic 2 to get to Casino Night Zone.

Of course, the game has its drawbacks too. The zones are not as colorful or pretty as its predecessor Sonic 2. That is not to say they are bad, which they are not, but when I look at Aquatic Ruin Zone and compare it to to, say, Angel Island, there is a noticeable difference.

I also hated one feature to be found in Carnival Night Zone. Need I mention that stupid barrel? It took me forever to learn how to get past that obstacle. Many gamers had the same problem. Of course, you just play with the D-Pad, but there were not hints up until that point, and this is the only barrel you can do it on. A good puzzle, perhaps, but it stank, and seemed more like a glitch than the former.

There is also the matter of a certain Sandopolis Zone. It is my most hated zone, out of any of the Sonic games, for obvious reasons. You cannot have fun there. It is just get to the end as fast as you can. The music is annoying and the pace is generally boring in the first act. The second act has those stupid ghosts that can kill you once the lights go out. Seriously, how can ghosts kill you? I'm still wondering that. You have to fight the time and turn on the ligths, which means your pressing against the time-out death.

I was also upset that Tails did not have a Hyper form like Sonic and Knuckles. He cannot even go Super until he has the Super Emeralds. What gives? Is it because he is too young? Or is it because he simply too ass-kicking already? ^_^ Yeah, has to be that one.

Now that I have talked a bit about the games, who did I play most as? It should be pretty obvious. I am like DL. I am a Tails-player. Seriously, the kid is like an in-game cheat code. He can do anything! Except go Hyper, apparently. He can fly and swim, and help Sonic in the process! The air-lifts are a stroke of genius I wish had stayed in current games. Heck, he can even help Sonic swim out of danger. I've done it several times while playing with my sisters. The levels while playing with Tails are fun and exciting. You want to explore everything because, except for the solid rock walls meant for Knuckles, you can go anywhere with the little two-tailed fox.

I went for years without playing any Sonic games. Probably because I did not have the system for it. But I did buy Sonic Heroes, hoping to have the same fun I did as a kid, and I was sorely disappointed. This was not the Sonic I had grown up with. I agree with DL. It can be salvaged and brought back to its former glory. Something about the old games was just right. I miss it, to tell the truth.

Well, that is about my peace. ^_^
To walk with Him is to walk in light. The Lord is my light and my salvation--who shall I fear? ~Psalm 27:1

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SoniCalvin
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Wow. Just... wow. Your first experience with Sonic was the SatAM cartoon? ... Mine was with the very first Sonic game. I was three when my parents got it. I beat it at that age. How did I beat it? I'm not sure myself. I just picked up the controller and learned from there.

I really don't care who I play as in the old or new Sonic games. In fact, I just love the characters for who they are, not what they can do. Like, Sonic is one of my favourite characters because he has a sense of freedom and justice. He has this amazing ability to run at the speed of sound, and he uses this ability to run around the world. He's always looking for adventure, and he never hesitates to help anyone in trouble. He has a lot of freedom. He can go anywhere he wants, not having anyone tell him what to do. He lives and dies by his own rules. It's because of Sonic's attitude that I've always been playing games from his series, and nothing's gonna make me change that.
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dl316bh
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*huggles Changeling back* ^_^

Do me a favor Changeling. Don't invest in the DVD of the SatAM Sonic cartoon, which just came out recently. I watched the show again... and I have to say, I was sorely dissapointed. It seemed less then I remembered, and I was very sad to find it to be one of those childhood cartoons that weren't as great as you remembered it. That tends to ruin some fond memories. =(

My actual first experience with the Sonic franchise was the first and second ones. I used to have a Sega Master System when I was but a little kid. When that broke, I was allowed to upgrade to the Genesis. Sonic 1 came bundled with the system at the time, and Sonic 2 was an extra little bonus for me. I played the both of them religiously, not caring as much at the time about order as I do now.

Another thing that bothers me about the next gen Sonic's. They've revealed a weakness in Sonic Team, which is storytelling. With the old 2D games, there wasn't a lot of story. Most of it was in small little interactions in game or in the instruction manual. But the thing about the games is that it struck you as how much it didn't really need a fantastic plot. You wanted to play the games over and over anyways, while some games rely on plot to get through.

The new ones seem to rely more on actual plot then fun, which doesn't work for a franchise like this. Sonic Adventure worked. For it's problems with glitches, it was in general a solid game with quite a bit of replay value. It was a great foray into the 3D realm. Too bad it went downhill from there.

You were even more locked in in Adventure 2. You were going to play what the game told you to play, when it wanted you to play it. And more often then not, the fun was drained. The speed level's were very linear with little to see, the shooting stages were rather annoying and devoid of much of the fun and the emerald hunting missions were just annoyingly frustrating. The story was decent, but not enough to carry the game. Even the friggin Chao Garden was less fun this time around, while in Sonic Adventure DX for the Gamecube, it was actually quite fun.

Heroes had the same problems, only this time the story couldn't save it. The team dynamic could have been very interesting, but once again, it was very linear. The game pretty much held your hand, demanding you use a certain formation at a certain time, and killed a lot of the experimentation. It didn't help that for the four teams you're given, the levels changed very little between them. You were basically going through the levels with different characters and a different quota of enemies. Lame. And Team Chaotix, the excuse for "variety", was kinda contrived in nature.

Then, there's the story. Heroes was supposed to be a celebration of Sonic history and a rematch with the original Metal Sonic after about ten years. But for the things the plot try's to set up, it leaves a lot more questions then answers. Many things set up in some of the opening sequences are dropped quickly, and a lot of things aren't resolved, especially in regards to Team Dark. It all seems like fluff to get up to the last fight with Metal Sonic, which is very dissapointing.

The 2D games didn't need story to save it. The beauty of Sonic 2 lies in that the game itself is so much fun to play that story is irrelevant. The levels are so envigorating and the level design so wonderful you'll go back again and again. The diverging paths in and of themselves are exciting. Every playthrough can be a different experience. The better you get, the more likely you are to make that difficult jump, gaining acess to a different path to explore, along with the dangers. It's what made the 2D games so great.

I have to agree on the greatness of Sonic 3 & Knuckles, but I also have to agree with Changeling on the levels. Some of them were far less colorful, and it did detract from the overall experience. A lot of the time, they got it right. Carnival Night Zone was extremely colorful and awesome in its variety, for instance. Ice Cap Zone was just a wonderful level all around and quite possibly my favorite from Sonic 3 & Knuckles. Launch Base was pretty damn good too. Overall, it had quite it's share of winners as far as level design goes.

But it did have it's losers. I can honestly say that Sandopolis Zone is probably the least fun level to play through in the entire franchise. It's just a great big frustrating, annoying mess. It could have been so much better. Also, I felt Mushroom Hill could have benefitted from some polish. But, it wasn't the first game to have a losing level. Much as I love Sonic 2, Mystic Caves Zone is not one of my favorite levels in the game. It's level design is pretty good, but overall, the feel of the level is too dark for me and kinda kills the good vibe you get going. Though the music in that level was pretty good.

I do remember the lock on feature, and I personally think it was a stroke of genius on Sega's part. The two games were originally supposed to be one big one, but they were rushed out into two seperate games. The solution? Make them interlockable so they can become that one big game! Along with extra's, like locking with Sonic 2 to play Knuckles in Sonic 2, it was a stroke of brilliance in the cartridge age. Nintendo never thought of something like that! Such an innovation wouldn't work these days though, considering we're in the disc era, but it was genius for it's time.

Oh god Changeling. The barrel. I cannot express how much I absolutely hated that puzzle as a kid. I swear I was stuck at that very exact spot for at least a week, trying to figure out how to get past it. I kept thinking I missed something or the like, and couldn't figure it out for the life of me. See, even when I was younger, I was no dummy. Logically, my brain kept telling me "leap off the barell and land back on it to send it lower". So I kept trying that. It was the logical move, and I've always been one to follow logic first. That didn't work, no matter how hard I tried. Can you imagine how pissed I was when I found out it was as simple as staying on the friggin barell and alternating between up and down to gain momentum? ARGH!

Oh, and the air lifts were fun as hell. I still like doing them to this day. Get my little sister to plug in a second controller to play as Tails for a little tag team action. >=)

Speaking of the 2D franchise, has anyone played through the Game Gear Sonic's? They were always as good as their Genesis parents, but they were good for some fun. By far, my least favorite was the Game Gear version of Sonic 2. There was no fun to be had with that game whatsoever. The first level in particular is just a great big bore, and it doesn't get much better from there.

However, Sonic Chaos and Sonic Triple Trouble were far more on target. Far better then todays handheld Sonics. I liked Sonic Chaos's Special Stages for the emerald. They played like little mini stages, and I particularly found it to be a good time trying to navigate them in time. Expecially the one where you got to ride to pogo spring. The level design in the Game Gear Sonics were lacking some though. The first level's generally tended to feel like your typical Green Hill style opening Zone. At least with Sonic 3, they broke that formula with a jungle Zone. Similar, yet different enough to work.

You want to know something else I miss about the 2D sonics? Collecting the emeralds and going Super Sonic in the regular levels. Seriously. That was half the fun and incentive of getting all seven. Then you just nabbed 50 rings and went Super. It was a blast! Now Super Sonic is relegated to the last story's of each game, robbing the powerup of the fun that was ever present in the 2D games. I'm sick of the powerup being saved for the "Last Story", where it usually amounts to rushing at some really big monster. What the hell Sonic Team? -_-

I agree that something has been lost in the 2000 years, when Sonic is primarily 3D. I can't say I've played Sonic and the Secret Rings, though I want to (no Wii, doncha know), but I've played just about all of the 3D Sonic games, and they just aren't as fun anymore. I was able to forgive Sonic Adventure 2 for it's pretty big faults, but my patience with Sonic Team on actually making the 3D formula work has just about run out. They need ot actually work with the friggin code instead of using the same glitchy engine they've used since Adventure for each new game. If it's broke, fix it dammit!

I do honestly yearn for the days of the 90's 2D Sonics. That was quite the time for the franchise. I miss it.
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SoniCalvin
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Sonic Riders, technically, never had the Sonic Adventure glitchy gameplay, because it was moreso a racing game rather than action/adventure.

... ...

Yeah, I'm just trying to get people to like the 3D Sonic games more, don't pay any attention to the Sonic fanboy. XD
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dl316bh
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Don't worry about it Soni. And I do really like the first Sonic Adventure. But the 3D games after that really killed the whole thing for me. Maybe Sonic and the Secret Rings will restore some of my faith when I finally manage to pick up a Wii, but until then, my opinion is pretty skewed in the "bad" direction.

And I don't really consider Sonic Rider's an actual entry into the franchise. It's more a sportsy type of game. I consider it a side game, like I consider games like Mario Strikers and Mario 3-on-3.
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Sonic Riders has a story too though, despite its sportsy genre. That being said, I'm not sure if it should be considered part of the main story canon of the series.

This is nothing really important, but in my theory, some of the games follow some kind of chronological order, storywise. A-like so. Oh, and uh... those of you who out there who actually CARE about the stories and haven't played any of the below games, there will be spoilers.

Sonic the Hedgehog (Genesis) (1991)
Sonic the Hedgehog is the first game in the series and establishes the canon's foundation. It introduces the hero, Sonic the Hedgehog; the villain, Dr. Eggman; basic gameplay elements; and bosses that have reappeared in later games, such as in Sonic Advance. In this game, and all future games until the Sonic Advance series, Dr. Eggman has captured all the animals and turned them into robot slaves. Sonic is the only one who can stop the evil scientist.

Sonic CD (CD) (1993)
Sonic CD's story takes place before Sonic the Hedgehog 2 because of the lack of Tails, who has appeared in every Sonic game since his introduction in Sonic 2. Placing Sonic CD after Sonic 2 creates somewhat of a discontinuity. The game is canon because Sonic Adventure for the Dreamcast makes an explicit reference to the game during Amy's opening cutscene. Note that Sonic CD was supposed to be released at the same time as Sonic 2, but due to considerable delays, it was released after Sonic 2.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Genesis) (1992)
The instruction booklet indicates that Sonic 2 comes after the events of Sonic 1 (duh). The game features new sprites for Sonic, who appears to be slightly older, and also introduces Tails, and Super Sonic.

Sonic 3 & Knuckles (Genesis) (1994)
Sonic 3 & Knuckles closely follows Sonic 2 and recycles its sprites and game engine. In the game, Sonic's story occurs first, and then Knuckles' story. In Sonic's story, Angel Island is in the sea and Knuckles is his enemy. In Knuckles' story, Angel Island is in the sky and Sonic is his ally.

Sonic Advance (Game Boy Advance) (2001)
While some may assume Sonic Adventure's story comes first, Sonic Advance comes first for two clear reasons. First, Sonic's red Tornado biplane appears in it, yet it was shot down and destroyed in Sonic Adventure. And second, in all the games after this game, including Sonic Adventure, Eggman has a much more complicated way of taking over the world, but in Sonic Advance, Eggman has the same old scheme: enslaving and turning innocent animals into robots in order to use them to take over the world.

Sonic Advance 2 (Game Boy Advance) (2002)
There are three reasons why Sonic Advance 2's story takes place here. First, it is evident from the game and official material that Sonic Advance 2 closely follows its prequel. Second, this game introduces Cream the Rabbit, who is trying to search for her mother Vanilla the Rabbit, and Cream reappears in Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut as a cameo in story mode, giving proof that this game takes place before Sonic Adventure. And third, Eggman's strategy is essentially unchanged from previous canon games.

Sonic Adventure (Dreamcast) (1999)
Sonic Adventures marks the first of the fully 3D and evolved Sonic games, and it is closely connected to Sonic & Knuckles, as seen by the fall of Angel Island. It also makes several references to earlier games: Sonic making jokes at Knuckles' expense about his history with Eggman; Tails' dream of when he first met Sonic; and Amy's flashback of when Sonic first rescued her from Eggman's base on the Little Planet while being chased by Metal Sonic. In this game, six characters from the Sonic universe have to find out what happened to an ancient guardian named Chaos. Super Sonic is unlocked after finishing the other stories.

Sonic Adventure 2 (Dreamcast) (2001)
It is Sonic Adventure's sequel, and it closely follows its prequel. This game introduces Shadow the Hedgehog as Sonic's cold-hearted rival. It also introduces Rouge the Bat, a government spy and jewel thief. In this game, we learn that 50 years ago, Prof. Gerald Robotnik created the Ultimate Life Form. Dr. Eggman wants to unlock the secret, and stopping him is Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles.

Sonic Heroes (GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox, PC) (2003)
It continues the storyline of Sonic Adventure 2. The game stars Metal Sonic as the villain of the game instead of Dr. Eggman. In Team Dark's story, Shadow begins his story inside a cryogenic capsule; Rouge is surprised that he is still alive. In Team Rose's story, Amy is relaxing at a beach in a scene reminiscent of a cutscene of Sonic's story in Sonic Adventure; and in the cutscene just before Hang Castle in Team Sonic's story, Knuckles scares Tails by wondering if Shadow was a ghost (though he was probably just scaring him and nothing more), making a reference to Sonic Adventure 2's ending when Shadow fell to Earth while he and Sonic were trying to stop the ARK from falling, making everyone believe he was dead. In all the stories, however, it is necessary to find out who the villain is, and defeat him.

Shadow the Hedgehog (GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox) (2005)
This game takes place after Sonic Heroes, as it makes several references to it and Sonic Adventure 2. This game takes place before Sonic Battle, because in that game, Shadow has all of his memories and remembers Maria, Professor Gerald, and the incident on ARK. However, in this game, Shadow doesn't even know who Maria and Professor Gerald are.

Sonic Battle (Game Boy Advance) (2003)
Even though this game was released before Sonic Heroes, the story takes place after, because Rouge says that E-102 Chaos Gamma looks like Omega, whom she met in Sonic Heroes. This game also takes place after Shadow the Hedgehog, because of the explanation above.

Sonic Advance 3 (Game Boy Advance) (2004)
It is seen that this game closely follows Sonic Battle, and it continues Sonic Battle's storyline, seeing as Eggman found Emerl's pieces and rebuilt him into Gemerl. Emerl was a robot who was introduced in Sonic Battle.

Sonic the Hedgehog (Xbox 360, 2006) (PlayStation 3, 2007)
In this game, Sonic has to save the princess of Soleanna, Elise, from the wrath of Dr. Eggman, who once again wants the Chaos Emeralds, but also wants to uncover the secret behind the Flames of Disaster. However, this game's events were erased from history at the end, though that doesn't mean it isn't canon, as this game's storyline continues with Sonic Rivals.

Sonic Rivals (PlayStation Portable) (2006)
In this game, Sonic's story begins when he has to rescue Tails and Amy, who have been turned into cards, believing it be Eggman behind it. In Knuckles' story, he has to retrieve the Master Emerald, which has also been turned into a card. He also believes Eggman is behind it. In Shadow's story, he receives a distress call from Dr. Eggman. In Silver's story, he searches for Eggman Nega, who has escaped to the present, along with Onyx Island (Angel Island in the future). Near the end of the game, Shadow finds out that it was Eggman Nega disguised as Eggman, and was holding both the real Eggman and Rouge hostage. This game takes place after Sonic the Hedgehog, because the events of that game were erased from history as stated above, which is why Sonic and his friends didn't recognize Silver and vice-versa, thus he had to be reintroduced. This game also states that Eggman Nega is from the same time period as Blaze and Silver, and that he is in fact Dr. Eggman's descendant.

So there you go. The entire chronology of the main Sonic games. Sonic Riders, and Sonic and the Secret Rings may fit in there somewhere, but I'm not sure where.
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chrisartguy
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Oh nono what I've meant by realism is the realism in the newer Sonic games, like shadow the hedgehog or Sonic the hedgehog 2006. Sonic adventure had brilliant level designs and soundtrack, I understand why the transition to 3d must be incredibly difficult, given Sonic's fast action.

One game tho that seems to pique my interest is Sonic and the Secret rings, as well as that 2.5D game Sonic Rush.

In terms of being a good level, one of the most beautifully designed levels I have ever seen (well, all the levels in sonic are gorgeous anyways), is the lava reef zone (12,3 -> hidden palace), because it offered a variation of action, the design was COOL and different, and the music hit the level style dead on.

When I play a level, I would usually just stop and stare at the backdrop for any hint of what went on in that zone, just taking a breather and admiring the art of a level is my kind of gaming :) The music add's to the wonderment of that zone. Sonic adventure also did that same thing, but sonic heroes and SA2 really didn't cut it for me because of that :(

I strongly agree with you dl316bh, Sonic adventure was the closest they've got to a good 3D sonic game (well, I'm not sure about the new age Sonic), its levels were awesome, after those games the Sonic games just got a bit more...wierd :/
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SoniCalvin
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Mario & Sonic's coming soon for the Wii and DS. Ah, two old console rivals duking it out in the 2008 Beijing Olympic games. I love it.
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I had a chance to play some of the Sonic Game Gear games once I bought the Mega Collection. I have to say Sonic Chaos was pretty fun to play through. It was very much like Sonic 2 and Sonic 3 and Knuckles and, correct me if I am wrong, was probably the first game to give us the flying Tails we know and love. Not as good as the larger games, of course, but still a winner in its own right.

It was the only one I really enjoyed as the extras. Sonic Blast just looked funky. ^_^ Sonic Labyrinth really did not capture my interests, either.

And may we all hate that stupid barrel.
To walk with Him is to walk in light. The Lord is my light and my salvation--who shall I fear? ~Psalm 27:1

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SoniCalvin
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You know how long it took me to figure out that barrel bit? I never played Sonic 3 & Knuckles again until I was 14. I asked someone on the net how to get past that barrel. They told me to press up and down on the controller. My reaction?"

"..."

"WHAT THE F*CKING HELL?!!?"
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