Back in the 80's and early 90's, Nintendo DOMINATED the video game scene with the NES, Game Boy, and the soon-to-be-released SNES. All of the most popular and iconic games of the time were being released on their systems, and it seemed as if nothing could even compare to them. However, it was then that a challenger came on the scene, and that challenger was Sega, with their new console, the Sega Genesis, and with this new console came a new mascot. A mascot that would define an entire generation of gamers, for better, or for worse, and that mascot would come to be known as Sonic the Hedgehog.
Say what you will about what Sonic has become, but back in the day, he was the face of the Genesis, and the first competition that Mario and Nintendo have ever had, all thanks to the game that started it all. And thankfully, after over 30 years, the original game still holds up to this day. Yes, it does have its problems, and it has aged in comparison to future installments, but this is a pretty great starting point for the series.
The story is very simple and fun, the graphics are very bright, colorful, and appealing, the music is iconic and incredible to this day, with Green Hill Zone being a great example of this, the control and movement is incredibly fast, fun and responsive, and the gameplay is simple fast-paced 2D platforming that is still wonderful, even for how simple this entry executes it.
The game is your average stage-to-stage affair, where you run through, defeat enemies and bosses, and grab rings, with the enemies and bosses themselves being very easy to take out, even if they can be bland, and some of the bosses can be pretty annoying in how they try to differentiate how you take them out, such as in Labyrinth Zone. Aside from what you would expect though, this game also gives replay value for the player in terms of the Chaos Emeralds.
If you grab 50+ rings and enter a giant ring at the end of the level, you can go through the drug trip known as a special stage in order to collect a Chaos Emerald, and when you collect all six of them, you are then granted a different ending at the end, which doesn't change much, but it is a little nicer. In terms of the special stages themselves, they are... fine. They can be fun to travel through, but I will admit, it does get disorienting and kinda annoying in some certain cases, and with all the different obstacles in there that can sometimes throw you out of the level entirely, you could be at them for a while.
In terms of complaints I would have about this game, I would say that the main gimmick of the game, that being speed, isn't exactly executed all too well. For example, you start out in Green Hill Zone, a set of levels where you can run through at the speed of sound, coupled with well-timed platforming, but then you enter Marble Zone, where you are immediately grinded to a halt, having to push numerous objects and pull off slow platforming. Sure, I don't mind this all too much, but it is noticeable when looking back. Not to mention, some of the levels themselves, like Labyrinth Zone, can fuck right off for all I care.
In addition, this game suffers quite a bit from first-game-syndrome, where again, the levels aren't always the best, and not to mention, with signature elements of Sonic missing, like the spin dash and Tails, it does feel rather weird to go back to. That being said, it is still a great game to this day, but it has aged, and can be seen more as a blueprint for where this series is taken in the future.
Overall, this is still a great way to start out what would become Sega's flagship franchise, and an icon for many all around the world, no matter how... weird the series would get.
Game #60
Say what you will about what Sonic has become, but back in the day, he was the face of the Genesis, and the first competition that Mario and Nintendo have ever had, all thanks to the game that started it all. And thankfully, after over 30 years, the original game still holds up to this day. Yes, it does have its problems, and it has aged in comparison to future installments, but this is a pretty great starting point for the series.
The story is very simple and fun, the graphics are very bright, colorful, and appealing, the music is iconic and incredible to this day, with Green Hill Zone being a great example of this, the control and movement is incredibly fast, fun and responsive, and the gameplay is simple fast-paced 2D platforming that is still wonderful, even for how simple this entry executes it.
The game is your average stage-to-stage affair, where you run through, defeat enemies and bosses, and grab rings, with the enemies and bosses themselves being very easy to take out, even if they can be bland, and some of the bosses can be pretty annoying in how they try to differentiate how you take them out, such as in Labyrinth Zone. Aside from what you would expect though, this game also gives replay value for the player in terms of the Chaos Emeralds.
If you grab 50+ rings and enter a giant ring at the end of the level, you can go through the drug trip known as a special stage in order to collect a Chaos Emerald, and when you collect all six of them, you are then granted a different ending at the end, which doesn't change much, but it is a little nicer. In terms of the special stages themselves, they are... fine. They can be fun to travel through, but I will admit, it does get disorienting and kinda annoying in some certain cases, and with all the different obstacles in there that can sometimes throw you out of the level entirely, you could be at them for a while.
In terms of complaints I would have about this game, I would say that the main gimmick of the game, that being speed, isn't exactly executed all too well. For example, you start out in Green Hill Zone, a set of levels where you can run through at the speed of sound, coupled with well-timed platforming, but then you enter Marble Zone, where you are immediately grinded to a halt, having to push numerous objects and pull off slow platforming. Sure, I don't mind this all too much, but it is noticeable when looking back. Not to mention, some of the levels themselves, like Labyrinth Zone, can fuck right off for all I care.
In addition, this game suffers quite a bit from first-game-syndrome, where again, the levels aren't always the best, and not to mention, with signature elements of Sonic missing, like the spin dash and Tails, it does feel rather weird to go back to. That being said, it is still a great game to this day, but it has aged, and can be seen more as a blueprint for where this series is taken in the future.
Overall, this is still a great way to start out what would become Sega's flagship franchise, and an icon for many all around the world, no matter how... weird the series would get.
Game #60