R4 is the most late 90's thing as it can get. No wonder it's one of the most praised arcade racers ever, maybe even one of the best games ever for some. With its very stylish models and menus, a bomb ass club-inspired soundtrack and some soap opera-esque stories, it's a game anyone can play but also very hard to master—in the most rewarding way possible.

It's a timeless gem, really. Even with its low poly and FMVs, it's very memorable compared to most of the realistic-looking racing stuff released in the the last 10 years or so. It adds a lot of charm to a game that already is filled to the brim with it. I mean, play a few seconds of a song of the soundtrack, and YOU KNOW it's Ridge Racer. On the other hand, one of the things that is just OK are the AIs of the other cars, because they are a bit stupid. It's fine as even bumping into them is discouraged from the start, so learning and perfecting their patterns is a neat additional challenge.

But in the end, it's just a little car game. The thing is how memorable it is that makes R4 THE car game. It's the consistent precision required in each lap that makes so satisfying to finish Real Racing Roots on harder difficulties. Honestly, seeing that trophy is just a bonus compared to how nice that feeling of accomplishment is. But my main problem with the game is that I probably can't listen to Move Me while actually driving; I just don't think it would be safe for anyone to drive with that banger of a track on max.

I wanted to test my Retropie setup thingy so I played this again. It's probably the first game I've played in my life, and I've been playing it for a very long time since it's one of the only games I owned for my Mega Drive until I got my 360. You know, nostalgia aside, this game is far better than the first, but it still has its flaws for me.

The first Sonic game looks like a prototype compared to this one, though it's good on its own. But since this one exists, I can't bother to care that much about the latter. Sonic 2 has a significantly better composition, graphics, levels, physics and movements. Also it has Tails! The only thing it sucks on is its pacing and difficulty.

The first levels scream at you to go fast while trying to stay on the top path. The thing is that it gets a little harder on each level until about Mystic Cave Zone. Then the game starts falling apart from being difficult in a fun way to just annoying. I've finished the game countless times and I'm sad that this still bothers me so much.

The Special Stages are also like this, but I feel like it's only fair since you basically unlock easy mode by getting all emeralds. But I hate that the game jumps so abruptly from going fast to take things slowly and very carefully, since there's a high chance of losing a life from falling in the wrong place or one enemy just out of sight to catch off-guard after another to the point where it gets annoying.

Though I have some issues with Sonic 2, it's still a very fun game, and like I said it's a welcome improvement of the first one—I feel like all of its zones are all well known for a reason or another, especially its songs, which are all earworms. It just set a bar for the franchise's many clichés and that's why I said the original wasn't as good. I think it's clear my love/hate relationship with this game, but I will still keep on playing it for my whole life probably. I just think I should just start skipping Metropolis Zone from this point on.