So what's the fuss with the old Sonic games?

[DarthVella]

Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't like the blue critter (and yes, I know I'm in the minority as far as Sonic and his mates are concerned). I started with Adventure 2, and I liked the different play styles - fast-paced twitch-reflexes running broken up by the slower play of Tails and Knuckles, and their dark story counterparts. I went on to play Heroes and Shadow the Hedgehog, and I enjoyed them. But those games were always in 3D with the camera pointed in front of me so I could see what was coming up next. I occasionally might not have been able to react in time, but I at least had noticed whatever hazard it was before it brought me down.

Then, a long while later, Steam had a sale and I bought Generations to get back into the series. Suddenly I had a side on view and was bashing into every enemy that appeared and dropping off platforms into the void below before I could react to the edge. I eventually kept my finger on the jump button, mashing it whenever I thought I saw the slightest hint of the ghost of something important coming up. Even when I was right it only worked about a third of the time because there's more to the levels than just jumping.

So what is it with the old 2D Sonic games that was enjoyable about them? They seem full of leap-of-faith gameplay designed to punish you for not knowing the level rather than reward you for quick thinking and fast reactions. Or, what am I missing? Was it the simple charm of the older games that drew everyone back? And, on a side note, why does everyone deadpan the games now? I certainly don't think the series is dead; on the contrary, I enjoy the buggery out of it.

 

[Chimpzy_v1legacy]

The thing about old school Sonic is that the 8 and 16-bit games weren't about speed. Sure, there where sections in the levels where you gotta go fast, but the bulk of the gameplay lay in careful platforming and exploration, finding the best (and yes, eventually fastest) route through the level.

Mixing those two worked because those games had well-designed levels that catered to both playstyles. There was some trial and error involved but smart placement of platforms, enemies and traps kept this to a minimum, even without knowledge of the level (remember, it wasn't about blazing through). Sonic Generations tried to emulate the old style of gameplay and it did a pretty good job most of the time, but not always.

 

[ScrabbitRabbit]

Well, your problem is you're playing Generations which has a lot more bottomless pits than the old games did (although it's better for it than the other 3D Sonic games have been).

I remember when missing a jump in Sonic usually meant you just had to take the long way around. Well, until the later few levels... in Sonic 1 and 2 especially, the last few levels were chock-full of bottomless pits.

Still, it was always obvious that they were bottomless and they could easily be avoided by careful platforming. The early games were really more about skilled platforming with speed being a reward for being really fuckin' good more than they were about going as fast as possible.

There's also the historical context; before Sonic there had never been a platformer that felt quite so fluid with levels that were quite so open ended (shut up, Metroid doesn't count ). The levels were huge and absolutely full of varying paths and secrets and, back in 1991, that shit was mindblowing.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

Because Sonic 3 and Knuckles had some of the best sidescroller level design EVER. And a kickass soundtrack. And deliberately floaty controls that made platforming skill based. Once you mastered everything, you could be a spiky blue ninja moving at a hundred miles an hour pulling off trick moves that would make the prince of persia blush.

 

[Andy Shandy]

Well I believe the reason for most people deadpanning the games is that SEGA released two pretty badly received games (Shadow the Hedgehog and Sonic 06) within a year. And depending on some opinions it may have started before that (Heroes etc) and continued after (Sonic storybook games, Unleashed etc). But I'm like you, I enjoy the hell out of the series.

And as for the enjoyment of the past games, it may be in part to nostalgia goggles, but still everything holds up well today. It's still easy to look at and fun to play, the music is awesome (and has been throughout the entire series)

 

[teqrevisited]

There were some pits (Scrap Brain, Metropolis. Endgame stuff really) but there were many more in Generations than there were in the first 3. For those fond of chiptunes they have a nigh-flawless soundtrack. The levels usually had multiple routes and were filled with secrets.

 

[TrevHead]

The old Sonic games had really great controls and physics, also it's more of a pure platformer compared to later games where Sega has added more bells and whistles to each new game.

Generations almost brings back the old physics although the jump isn't quite right imo, S4 ep 1 was garbage and I haven't bothered with ep2.

Some ppl arent that bothered with the physics but as someone who hasn't played any post 16bit till Gen & S4 I do.

 

[Get_A_Grip_]

Sonic was cool as all hell.

One bad ass blue ************ that transforms into a spiked ball of pain that would tear holes through the environment and ran so fast that he ripped the fabric of the space time continuum while tearing through robots whilst bitching Sega synth music was blasting in the background.

Whereas Mario was just jumping in the air dressing up as a raccoon and collecting mushrooms and flowers trying to save some fairytale princess.

 

[Snotnarok]

Sonic isn't about running mach 10 all the time, it's about you can go fast when you need to and you can do it very quickly. Solid platforming with lots of fun large levels.
The problem with Generations 2D levels is the spindash sends you flying much to fast with no real control over how fast you launch off. In the Gen versions you had to hit the button faster to go faster.
Levels do become easier with practice obviously but there's many paths, a lot of ways to finish a level and ways to change up gameplay especially in 3 with the elemental shields.

The new ones (up untill Day levels of Unleashed/ Colors and Generations) were about bugs, clipping, awful voice acting(that you can't turn off), shoving awful characters into the games and load times.


Also anyone who hasn't played the fan-game Sonic MEGAMIX is seriously depriving themselves of some fun. Someone basically hacked apart Sonic 1, added characters, shields, made their own levels and it's playable on a real SEGA CD.

 

[TerribleAssassin]

Mainly because it was less of a speed thing and more precision platforming. The speed thing came about because SEGA thought it was compulsory to have Sonic move too fucking fast. And as for Generations, it has way too many pits, and 2D Sonic moves too fast, but I'll be damned if Chemical Plant zone doesn't have the best level theme ever.

 

[Arqus_Zed]

The old Sonic games are pretty much "free running" games avant la lettre.

It's not really about speed. It's not really about platforming. It's about reaching the end in the most flawless manner possible without breaking the flow. That's also why the health system worked so well with the gameplay (you know, with the rings).

 

[Eddy-16]

I would mostly pin it on nostalgia and the newer games being a bit tripe on a bike, I did like hero's when I was 7-ish though.

 

[Kyr Knightbane]

Because Sonic 3 and Knuckles had some of the best sidescroller level design EVER. And a kickass soundtrack. And deliberately floaty controls that made platforming skill based. Once you mastered everything, you could be a spiky blue ninja moving at a hundred miles an hour pulling off trick moves that would make the prince of persia blush.

Ok is that dude some sort of god? I consider myself decent at Sonic 3 and he just moves through like he's made of hedgehog

 

[Tupolev]

As people have said, the 16-bit games aren't solid speed games. If you jump into them with that mindset, they can even feel sort of lethargic at first. They're nice, crisp classic platformers with great controls that allow you to move reasonably fast when you want to and can get moving. They also have terrific aesthetics in general.

I think Stardust Speedway from Sonic CD says just about everything; it's arguably a case of poor level design by 16-bit Sonic standards, yet it's still fun. Because for all the weird trash that gets thrown at you, running around that place just plain feels good.

 

[Mirroga]

I think the clip Soviet Heavy shared is good enough reason. To me who simply did not play any Sonic game but has watched the difference in the old and new Sonic, it's as clear as day. Old Sonic is a fast-paced precision platforming to me reminiscent of my favorite platformer Super Meat Boy. The new Sonic on the other hand has 2 kinds of levels. Flat levels which play more like a pinball machine than an actual platformer, and the 3d levels which act more like racing tracks.

 

[Soxafloppin]

The 2D sonic games have a special place in my heart. I played them endlessly as a kid. However, my favourite sonic games Are Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Adventure and Sonic Generations. all 3D (Generations being half and half).

I'm also in a minority with liking half other playable characters, my perfect sonic game would be based on the 3D play style of Sonic Generations, with Sonic, Tails and Knuckles as playable characters. All focusing on Speed, with Tails having flying sections in his levels and Knuckles with Gliding and more enemies he has to smash through.

 

[Shadowstar38]

The 2D Generation sections dont have level design as good as the actual old school games. Download a few of those and see the difference for yourself.

I'm one of the few people that find the 2D and 3D games equally enjoyable. I think people rag on the series because they havnt actually seen a Sonic game in action since Sonic 06 and the Wii games(and to be honest, and 3rd party fanchise that made games for the Wii failed). We've had 3 perfectly good games in a row so far. So I see the series as back on top.

 

[Angie7F]

Mario= slow.
Sonic= fast and destructive! (Also Tails was adorable)

I grew up when they were released, and I remember that as much as mario was cool, I still preferred sonic because of the design and speed.

The games may not be as speedy as the games available now, but its not fair to compare games that came out when we were using VHS to record TV shows with games released when TV and movies are on blue ray and phone and tvs are 3D.

 

[aguspal]

Yes, the 2d games relied quite a bit on trial and error, but that didnt matter so much because the game was (and still is) so good that most people didnt even thougt about stuff like that. Hell I doubt that gaming at that age have made up terms such as "Trial an error"... Its really pretty much like saying that the original Mario Bros is unbalanced because when you lose a life you lose every power up and such, its just stuff from that gaming epoche, and again, the game was so revolutionary than no one really cared about such stuff.


Also, the soundtrack for sonic games are just awesome. Even freaking 2006 had awesome music, its something that never leaved the series, not even at its very worst. (on a related note, I didnt found 06 to be THAT bad, more like it was so horribly bad and giant bug with litte bits of game on it that it was just plain HILARIOUS with its randmness, just watch some vids on youtube).