A definite improvement to the 2D Sonic formula. Co-op is a nightmare, but at least having Tails be like a little helper to snag rings and kill enemies/deal more boss damage is neat for single player. Music is as good as ever, and the stage quality has improved from Sonic 1. Sadly, the game takes a massive nosedive once you hit Metropolis Zone.
Metropolis Zone takes all the bullshit unfair parts about 2D Sonic and jams them all into not two, but THREE acts, including enemies that can hit you without warning (fuck those starfish, crabs and mantises) lava, crushed by gears and those lug-nut platforms. I even encountered a glitch where I jumped on one of those spear platforms and it killed me, despite the spear coming out on the opposite side to where I was. Wing Fortress Zone is ass and a half, and forcing the player to fight not one, but two final bosses back-to-back with no checkpoint and no rings is pure evil. The special stages are better than Sonic 1's, but Tails' delayed controls caused me to take hits I couldn't prevent so I abandoned getting the Chaos Emeralds again.
It's aged better than the first game, but Sonic 2 is kinda bad. Which is a shame, because if the game ended just before Metropolis Zone, it could've been great.
Metropolis Zone takes all the bullshit unfair parts about 2D Sonic and jams them all into not two, but THREE acts, including enemies that can hit you without warning (fuck those starfish, crabs and mantises) lava, crushed by gears and those lug-nut platforms. I even encountered a glitch where I jumped on one of those spear platforms and it killed me, despite the spear coming out on the opposite side to where I was. Wing Fortress Zone is ass and a half, and forcing the player to fight not one, but two final bosses back-to-back with no checkpoint and no rings is pure evil. The special stages are better than Sonic 1's, but Tails' delayed controls caused me to take hits I couldn't prevent so I abandoned getting the Chaos Emeralds again.
It's aged better than the first game, but Sonic 2 is kinda bad. Which is a shame, because if the game ended just before Metropolis Zone, it could've been great.