Sonic 1 deserves more respect
Honest to god this is the best Classic game (next to Mania of course). I would usually put Sonic 1 lower than the other Classic games prior but after a while I replayed this game and started messing around with it some more and honestly nowadays I actually prefer it to Sonic 2, 3, and ESPECIALLY CD and Chaotix, though those two aren't particularly a high bar if you ask me.
I think the simplicity in Sonic 1's design philosophy lends better to the game as a whole, there's no wishy wooshy automated speed sections or segmented level design that plagued Sonic 3 for instance. It's just fun to mess around and build speed no matter where you are in the level, and most of the "slow sections" that I hear people complain endlessly about can actually be skipped with clever play, whether it's the two lava rides in Marble zone, the spiked platforms and slopes in Spring Yard zone, heck you can even get past the entirety of Labyrinth zone without stopping to grab a single air bubble (though that zone is still a bit of a chore regardless). There still is some forced waiting sections don't get me wrong, Spring Yard still has plenty of elevators and Marble has that forced lava boat ride at the final act, but for the most part I definitely think this is by far the best classic game to actually use "le momentum rolling physics" well. It's just fun to experiment in a variety of scenarios, on top of having the better classic bosses that the series has had. They still aren't amazing but for the first attempt at creating bosses for the franchise I think they're well handled. The emeralds only get you a "good ending" instead of a super form so I don't think they're worth going after but if you do the special stages are what I would also put over 2's halfpipe or 3's godawful blue spheres any day of the week. As a whole, again, Sonic 1 is more "simple" compared to the other Classic games, but that's honestly why I prefer it in the end.
Honest to god this is the best Classic game (next to Mania of course). I would usually put Sonic 1 lower than the other Classic games prior but after a while I replayed this game and started messing around with it some more and honestly nowadays I actually prefer it to Sonic 2, 3, and ESPECIALLY CD and Chaotix, though those two aren't particularly a high bar if you ask me.
I think the simplicity in Sonic 1's design philosophy lends better to the game as a whole, there's no wishy wooshy automated speed sections or segmented level design that plagued Sonic 3 for instance. It's just fun to mess around and build speed no matter where you are in the level, and most of the "slow sections" that I hear people complain endlessly about can actually be skipped with clever play, whether it's the two lava rides in Marble zone, the spiked platforms and slopes in Spring Yard zone, heck you can even get past the entirety of Labyrinth zone without stopping to grab a single air bubble (though that zone is still a bit of a chore regardless). There still is some forced waiting sections don't get me wrong, Spring Yard still has plenty of elevators and Marble has that forced lava boat ride at the final act, but for the most part I definitely think this is by far the best classic game to actually use "le momentum rolling physics" well. It's just fun to experiment in a variety of scenarios, on top of having the better classic bosses that the series has had. They still aren't amazing but for the first attempt at creating bosses for the franchise I think they're well handled. The emeralds only get you a "good ending" instead of a super form so I don't think they're worth going after but if you do the special stages are what I would also put over 2's halfpipe or 3's godawful blue spheres any day of the week. As a whole, again, Sonic 1 is more "simple" compared to the other Classic games, but that's honestly why I prefer it in the end.