Hey, I've got a little Idea: Game Reviews! For this demo, I'm gonna be doing Sonic The Hedgehog. You can do your reviews in whatever style you want.
Sonic The Hedgehog (Genesis) (1991):
Sonic The Hedgehog for the Sega Genesis. Oh man, where do I begin!? This game is the game which started it all, stood up to Nintendo, and kicked them square in the balls whilst doing it. With great platforming, and some solid controls, it's no wonder why this game is so popular.
The game starts up on Green Hill Zone, and what a zone it is! With great graphics, some great music, and some simple level design, it's a great starter level for beginners. Running really fast and then jumping on a fish's head at the exact moment? Oh man, it never gets old. A creepy feeling of nostalgia washes over you as you play this, and it's no surprise, as this game is AWESOME. It also has some good sound effects, and really holds a sweet spot in my heart. The loops and that wied S tube in the middle of the stage are very cool, and the tube especially adds a much needed injection of speed into the game. However, and I don't know why, but the level seems slow and drawn-out to me. It's like a baby: you have to cherish it and bring it up before it truly stands up and lives to it's reputation, and that really slows down the whole thing. Ah well, maybe the next level will be better. The precision jumping on the second level is what ruins it for me. The amount of times i've lost lives on that part is annoying as
, and ruins the 2nd act. The 3rd act seems to be the first act which is truly a solid, challenging act, and my favourite out of the bunch. Apart from that spike pit at the end, that part sucks. (7/10)
Special Stage: Now THIS is where it's at! With some really relaxing music, a trippy background, and some cool level designs, this one is probably one of my favourite zones in the game. The 50HZ limit actually does the music some justice here, as it sounds a lot more relaxed and mellow, whilst the American version seems a bit rushed. And who can forget the exiting feeling of FINALLY getting a chaos emerald after about 7 tries? Nobody who's played this, that's who. Also, the spinny effect when you DO get a chaos emerald... Oh man. It's so cool. The first level is pretty good, and the second level's OK too, but after that, the learning curve goes all over the shot, and really ruins it. (8/10)
Marble Zone: Well, I must say, the game has taken quite a dramatic turn. The music seems to have gotten slightly worse, and it seems a bit more... dark. It seems like it's slowly but surely getting more mature as it goes. The level has a distinct lack of rings, and seems to have gone for a slightly more darker approach. The caterpillar enemies? Annoying as HELL. I still have no idea how to kill them today. Do you roll into them? Do you jump on the non-spiky part? Do you wait until you get invincibly? I don't know, and without instructions, you can expect to lose a few lives before you figure out EXACTLY how to kill them. However, after about half a minute of happy platforming, you come to a part where you can't go anywhere but backwards. From here on in, the level is a FREAKIN' MAZE, with levels taking MINUTES to complete! I mean for ****'s sake, this is a game about SPEED! Not about mazes! Leave that sorta stuff to Mario or something! Because of the maze, this level gets an unfortunately low (6/10)
Spring Yard Zone: Oh **** yeah! This game has just struck back, full freakin' force! With an accurate balance between challange and skill, this zone is probably the best in the game. There are a few parts where it feels slow, but the fast-paced scenes quickly rub them out. And with crazy half-pipes and stuff everywhere, it's hard NOT to like this! Great graphic design, plus probably the most rocking track in all the game gives this level the impression it will be good, but how does it fare? Well, actually, it's pretty darned good! Good level design and an assortment of enemies coming your way, plus a few maze elements makes this the perfect balance between Marble Zone and Green Hill Zone, and is super-fun, even when slowed down at 50HZ, giving this level a (9/10)
Labyrinth Zone: I never completed this zone. Ever. In fact, i've only gotten up to this level once in my entire life, and i'm 13, but from what I can remember, it was a headache, looked bland, and had annoying music, as well as being an underwater level. But since I can't remember this level too well, i'm not gonna rank it.
FINAL VERDICT: So, in conclusion, the game is actually pretty good. For a 1991 game, it's pretty good, with some extreme speed, cool loops and tubes all over the levels and a great soundtrack, this game could be one of the best in the series. However, this game is not without it's flaws. I'm running the game right now at 50HZ, and it just feels... slow. It feels kinda like it's dragging itself along, bit by bit, and it only truly starts getting fun when you're at top speed, blasting through the levels like their nothing, but when it comes to precision, you have to CAREFULLY and GENTLY mark your exact spot and speed. 1 pixel off, and your ass is going down, and you have to climb all the way back up again. Also, the spike behaviour is EXCRUCIATINGLY BAD! You land in a spike pit: and there's no second chance, it's like the games saying: 'Allright, ya slackin' bastard. Ya got this far, now welcome to die!' However, the game ties together nicely, and even though it has more death-traps than an executioner's dungeon, it lands with a neat (7/10)
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