Every Game Gear kid grew up convincing themselves that their Sonics would be just as good as the Mega Drive ones if they just had those Yuji Naka physics. Nope. They'd still be full of shite.
Triple Trouble 16-Bit is an impressive fangame that's hindered by the design sensibilities of the game it's based on, and the gameplay it's trying to incorporate. The levels are often full of blocky geometry with rudimentary enemies and lame gimmicks. Many aspects of Sonic 2, and 3 & Knuckles are attempted here, but they're tamer, crapper versions. You get Sky Chase Zone, except instead of the Tornado, Sonic's got flying shoes and he can spin into enemies, but there's no familiar jumping arc, and it feels crap. There's an attempt to expand on Ice Cap Zone's popular snowboarding sequence, but that takes the form of regular Sonic platforming with fewer abilities. Ice Cap Zone and Death Egg Zone are both quite liberally pulled from, actually, and reproduced in crapper, boxier, more repetitive designs here. There has been a lot of effort put into reworking the Game Gear's assets to bring them in line with the Mega Drive games, but the colour palettes and designs are just too limited and ugly to compare with some of the best-looking console games of the early 90s. It also takes away some of the scruffy appeal of the Game Gear original, in the process. The old art had a hell of a lot more charm than the edited Sonic 3 sprites you get here.
It seems somewhat harsh to compare an amateur hobby project to premier titles from one of the biggest developers in the industry, but that's how a lot of people have responded to it in their shortsighted praise. There's also game-breaking bugs and collision issues. You took a hit near a low ceiling? Say goodbye to those rings.
What has been achieved here is admirable, and there's some ambitious touches to elevate it above its implied intentions. Boss fights are often extended, each level is connected by a transitionary cutscene, and recreating the general geometry of the Game Gear title with the Mega Drive's sprite sizes and gameplay requires a lot of complex considerations, and they typically land on good compromises. There's also alternate characters, post-game unlocks and a competition mode that showcases a few ideas of how to make competitive Sonic better than anything Sega's come up with. It's an impressive project, and the people who created it should feel proud of what they've accomplished.
Just don't kid me on that anyone who isn't immediately sold by the concept ought to play it. Folk are treating it like it's the Sonic 4 that Mega Drive kids always wanted, and it quite candidly isn't that. If Triple Trouble was ever an important game to you, go for it. I really don't think you should be mentioning it to anyone else though.
Triple Trouble 16-Bit is an impressive fangame that's hindered by the design sensibilities of the game it's based on, and the gameplay it's trying to incorporate. The levels are often full of blocky geometry with rudimentary enemies and lame gimmicks. Many aspects of Sonic 2, and 3 & Knuckles are attempted here, but they're tamer, crapper versions. You get Sky Chase Zone, except instead of the Tornado, Sonic's got flying shoes and he can spin into enemies, but there's no familiar jumping arc, and it feels crap. There's an attempt to expand on Ice Cap Zone's popular snowboarding sequence, but that takes the form of regular Sonic platforming with fewer abilities. Ice Cap Zone and Death Egg Zone are both quite liberally pulled from, actually, and reproduced in crapper, boxier, more repetitive designs here. There has been a lot of effort put into reworking the Game Gear's assets to bring them in line with the Mega Drive games, but the colour palettes and designs are just too limited and ugly to compare with some of the best-looking console games of the early 90s. It also takes away some of the scruffy appeal of the Game Gear original, in the process. The old art had a hell of a lot more charm than the edited Sonic 3 sprites you get here.
It seems somewhat harsh to compare an amateur hobby project to premier titles from one of the biggest developers in the industry, but that's how a lot of people have responded to it in their shortsighted praise. There's also game-breaking bugs and collision issues. You took a hit near a low ceiling? Say goodbye to those rings.
What has been achieved here is admirable, and there's some ambitious touches to elevate it above its implied intentions. Boss fights are often extended, each level is connected by a transitionary cutscene, and recreating the general geometry of the Game Gear title with the Mega Drive's sprite sizes and gameplay requires a lot of complex considerations, and they typically land on good compromises. There's also alternate characters, post-game unlocks and a competition mode that showcases a few ideas of how to make competitive Sonic better than anything Sega's come up with. It's an impressive project, and the people who created it should feel proud of what they've accomplished.
Just don't kid me on that anyone who isn't immediately sold by the concept ought to play it. Folk are treating it like it's the Sonic 4 that Mega Drive kids always wanted, and it quite candidly isn't that. If Triple Trouble was ever an important game to you, go for it. I really don't think you should be mentioning it to anyone else though.