Cube Tries to Play (Almost) Every Sonic Game

[Cube]

I have decided to set myself a challenge: try to play as many Sonic games as possible. This will be between different games and not non stop after each other.

I will be playing the best versions of games rather then the very original ones, although vastly different versions will count separately (16 bit and 8 big Sonic the Hedgehog, Console and DS Colours and Generations for example). Some will require emulation as they haven't had releases since, or I have no platform to play them on. I have also added a few select ports as I think they deserve mentioning.

Instead of release order, I have randomised the order I will play it in. However, Series of games will be played in order (So if Sonic 1 is #23 and Sonic 2 is #19 they get swapped around).

There are some games which I may not be able to play. There seem to be some old mobile games which don't exist anywhere online, and Sonic Free Riders is probably a bit expensive to play considering it's quality (requiring a Kinect...I don't even know if my 360 is compatible with it or if it needs an update as it doesn't have WiFi).

This will probably take ages, but I'll update this thread for each game. I may not be good enough to complete them all but I'll try my best, as long as I put a decent amount of playtime relevant to each game.

[Aperson]

Good luck with this challenge.

 

I'd been following ClementJ642 on Youtube and he did videos on every single Sonic game that's ever been released and I do mean EVERY one. The whole project took over 10 years to fully complete!

[Glen-i]

For the sake of your well-being, don't play Sonic Chronicles.

[Jonnas]

Hooray for self-imposed challenges. I've been finding it quite fun, my monthly challenge of playing a bunch of games that follow one connecting theme (Mindful Games, Portuguese Games, etc.). It usually feels like part of a grander experience, and I find that I enjoy/criticise the games themselves in novel ways. So here's hoping you too enjoy the project you set up.

[Dcubed]

8 hours ago, Glen-i said:

For the sake of your well-being, don't play Sonic Chronicles.

Are you saying that he should play Shadow The Hedgehog then?  

Edited May 3, 2021 by Dcubed

[Glen-i]

21 minutes ago, Dcubed said:

Are you saying that he should play Shadow The Hedgehog then?  

At least that actually has entertaining cutscenes.

For all the wrong reasons, mind. But they're funny.

For the similar reason that Sonic 06 has some misplaced value.

Sonic Chronicles is just miserable.

[Cube]

1. Sonic The Hedgehog (8-bit)

• Original Platform: Master System
• Version Played: Game Gear

The first time I’ve played this version of Sonic the Hedgehog, and it really isn’t that bad. It plays faster than I was expecting for a simplified port. The smaller view isn’t ideal, and rings don’t seem as important as long as you have one. The special stages are cool but don’t serve much point, while emeralds are hidden in the levels.

This isn’t just a port of the original 16-bit version, though, it has different level design and some completely different stages (although with fairly dull names like Bridge and Jungle). They’re not as complex in terms of loops, although Scrap Brain Zone is a bit of a maze. Music is very cheery and is done well on the 8-bit platform, although Scrap Brain Zone just sounds a bit off.

2. Sonic Labyrinth

• Original Platform: Game Gear
• Version Played: Game Gear

An isometric maze/platform game made for the Game Gear and it’s quite poor. The object of the game is to find three keys hidden in the level and then make your way though the exit. With it being isometric, is means that the entire game is spent going diagonally, which D-pads weren’t designed to do constantly. Your one move is a spin dash, where you charge up for a more powerful one.

After three acts, you fight a boss which involves avoiding attacks and then spin dashing into. It’s a fairly short game, but some levels are confusing and involve doors that connect to each other differently (so come out of one and go back and you’ll be somewhere else).

3. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Wii)

• Original Platform: Wii
• Version Played: Wii

These Olympic Games will be some of the ones that I play a reasonable amount of to get a feel rather than “complete”, as completing requires a lot of repeat stuff. I played all starting events, some missions and a few circuits to get a good idea of how this plays.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympics feels like Sega made this without playing Wii Sports at all. Wii Sports felt amazing because of how intuitive and simple the controls were, yet they still felt deep. In this, they just feel like they’re in the way. Table Tennis is a great example: we all know how simple Wii Sports Tennis is. Mario & Sonic table tennis requires different button presses for different strokes, but also feels really delayed and unresponsive.

Other events are just too strict, now allowing for the unresponsive controls. Instead of just making you perform poorly or allowing more leeway, you’ll encounter lots of “faults” from starting a race (which resets the pre-match charging so you have to go through it each time) to trying to time a long jump or a triple jump (which I managed to get to work once).

This also feels like Sonic and Mario are just in a generic Olympic game. You can unlock a couple of “dream” events but the whole style just isn’t a celebration of either franchise.

[Dcubed]

I quite like Sonic The Hedgehog (8-bit).  It's a very different game compared to the MD original (it's more of a Mario esc platformer than like the MD Sonics), but I dig it.  Great music too! (Fun fact, this was the first game that Ancient ever developed; the company that Yuzo Koshiro founded after finishing up Actraiser's soundtrack).

[Josh64]

10 hours ago, Dcubed said:

Are you saying that he should play Shadow The Hedgehog then?  

Damn straight - It's Shadow the Hedgehog, baby! 

 

 

[WackerJr]

1 hour ago, Dcubed said:

I quite like Sonic The Hedgehog (8-bit).  It's a very different game compared to the MD original (it's more of a Mario esc platformer than like the MD Sonics), but I dig it.  Great music too! (Fun fact, this was the first game that Ancient ever developed; the company that Yuzo Koshiro founded after finishing up Actraiser's soundtrack).

I agree. I really didn’t like the Game Gear version, due to the reduced screen size & some of the buggy changes they made to some of the boss battles.  The Master System version remains one of my favourite games on the system though.  I remember the music for all of the zones, and the location of the hidden emeralds & 1-ups is still imprinted to this day!

Great challenge @Cube and good luck with the 8-bit Sonic 2 & it’s ridiculous difficulty spikes! If you have the choice between Game Gear & Master System versions then pick Master System, if nothing else then for the first boss alone!

[Dcubed]

7 minutes ago, WackerJr said:

I agree. I really didn’t like the Game Gear version, due to the reduced screen size & some of the buggy changes they made to some of the boss battles.  The Master System version remains one of my favourite games on the system though.  I remember the music for all of the zones, and the location of the hidden emeralds & 1-ups is still imprinted to this day!

Great challenge @Cube and good luck with the 8-bit Sonic 2 & it’s ridiculous difficulty spikes! If you have the choice between Game Gear & Master System versions then pick Master System, if nothing else then for the first boss alone!

Yeah, that's probably the single best example of how a Master System to Game Gear port can REALLY suffer from the cropped display!

[Glen-i]

25 minutes ago, Josh64 said:

Damn straight - It's Shadow the Hedgehog, baby! 

 

 

This can't be official! I'm playing this dreck of a game and it doesn't fit the tone at all.

*Digs into it a bit more*

[Cube]

1 hour ago, WackerJr said:

Great challenge @Cube and good luck with the 8-bit Sonic 2 & it’s ridiculous difficulty spikes! If you have the choice between Game Gear & Master System versions then pick Master System, if nothing else then for the first boss alone!

I picked the Game Gear version for some consistency throughout the 8 bit platformers (because of the two unique ones) and I saw that the Game Gear version of 1 fixed some issues, looks like they caused a few issues with 2 instead so may swap for the Master System version.

[Josh64]

3 hours ago, Glen-i said:

This can't be official! I'm playing this dreck of a game and it doesn't fit the tone at all.

*Digs into it a bit more*

I'll be honest, I agree with you both  I actually heard this song first having never played Shadow back in the day and was pretty pumped for it. Rest assured when I did finally get around to playing the game a few years ago I was massively disappointed. I usually stick up for Sonic Team but man, that game is garbage. This says a lot lol:

 "And Taku, being a big games fan, mentions it’s an honour to be working on a track to support the Sonic series. Even if it is Shadow."

 

[Jonnas]

7 hours ago, Cube said:

1. Sonic The Hedgehog (8-bit)

• Original Platform: Master System
• Version Played: Game Gear

The first time I’ve played this version of Sonic the Hedgehog, and it really isn’t that bad. It plays faster than I was expecting for a simplified port. The smaller view isn’t ideal, and rings don’t seem as important as long as you have one. The special stages are cool but don’t serve much point, while emeralds are hidden in the levels.

This isn’t just a port of the original 16-bit version, though, it has different level design and some completely different stages (although with fairly dull names like Bridge and Jungle). They’re not as complex in terms of loops, although Scrap Brain Zone is a bit of a maze. Music is very cheery and is done well on the 8-bit platform, although Scrap Brain Zone just sounds a bit off.

 

I remember liking Sonic 1 on the GG, though it's been a long time. I have fond memories of exploring the Jungle, remember Labyrinth being very cramped (though still fairly challenging), and Scrap Brain being way better than the Mega Drive counterpart (though to be fair, I never liked MD Scrap Brain, ever)

I also remember the music being better in the Game Gear. Maybe we just need a Tee Lopes remix?

 

[Josh64]

8 hours ago, Cube said:

1. Sonic The Hedgehog (8-bit)

• Original Platform: Master System
• Version Played: Game Gear

The first time I’ve played this version of Sonic the Hedgehog, and it really isn’t that bad. It plays faster than I was expecting for a simplified port. The smaller view isn’t ideal, and rings don’t seem as important as long as you have one. The special stages are cool but don’t serve much point, while emeralds are hidden in the levels.

This isn’t just a port of the original 16-bit version, though, it has different level design and some completely different stages (although with fairly dull names like Bridge and Jungle). They’re not as complex in terms of loops, although Scrap Brain Zone is a bit of a maze. Music is very cheery and is done well on the 8-bit platform, although Scrap Brain Zone just sounds a bit off.

2. Sonic Labyrinth

• Original Platform: Game Gear
• Version Played: Game Gear

An isometric maze/platform game made for the Game Gear and it’s quite poor. The object of the game is to find three keys hidden in the level and then make your way though the exit. With it being isometric, is means that the entire game is spent going diagonally, which D-pads weren’t designed to do constantly. Your one move is a spin dash, where you charge up for a more powerful one.

After three acts, you fight a boss which involves avoiding attacks and then spin dashing into. It’s a fairly short game, but some levels are confusing and involve doors that connect to each other differently (so come out of one and go back and you’ll be somewhere else).

3. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Wii)

• Original Platform: Wii
• Version Played: Wii

These Olympic Games will be some of the ones that I play a reasonable amount of to get a feel rather than “complete”, as completing requires a lot of repeat stuff. I played all starting events, some missions and a few circuits to get a good idea of how this plays.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympics feels like Sega made this without playing Wii Sports at all. Wii Sports felt amazing because of how intuitive and simple the controls were, yet they still felt deep. In this, they just feel like they’re in the way. Table Tennis is a great example: we all know how simple Wii Sports Tennis is. Mario & Sonic table tennis requires different button presses for different strokes, but also feels really delayed and unresponsive.

Other events are just too strict, now allowing for the unresponsive controls. Instead of just making you perform poorly or allowing more leeway, you’ll encounter lots of “faults” from starting a race (which resets the pre-match charging so you have to go through it each time) to trying to time a long jump or a triple jump (which I managed to get to work once).

This also feels like Sonic and Mario are just in a generic Olympic game. You can unlock a couple of “dream” events but the whole style just isn’t a celebration of either franchise.

I didn't play much of the original Olympic Games because they felt like absolute piss, as you said they are like a backwards Wii Sports and it lacks any soul whatsoever. I was dead against it... until 2012. I can't wait until you get there, honestly London 2012 is one of the best party games ever and put the Mario & Sonic Olympics on a whole other level for me. They have consistently been one of my all time favourite party games ever since then, in a time where Mario Party had lost all credit. They also went above and beyond to celebrate both franchises 2012 onwards. 

I'll forever be bitter that SEGA started on such a sour note, as the games that followed were all fantastic in their own way but required a "believe me, it's better than you think" speech.  

An example of how far the series has come:

 

[Josh64]

Also, interesting to note - Sochi 2014 came so early in the WiiU lifespan that characters like Donkey Kong, Daisy, Wario and Waluigi had their first HD appearance in a videogame developed and published by SEGA.

 

Edited May 4, 2021 by Josh64

[Glen-i]

7 hours ago, Josh64 said:

An example of how far the series has come:

 

"You can't make epic final level music funky, that's just ridiculous!"

Sega: "Hold my beer."

[Aperson]

You know, I've been thinking about things and I realise... sometimes you have to play bad video games to help appreciate the good games better.

 

I can understand only wanting to play good games, naturally we all want to enjoy our time with the games we play. But that can lead to a very high standard in terms of what is acceptable, so the "lesser" games among the pile of good games you're playing might be considered bad games if its the only thing you've ever played.

 

For that reason I'm kind of glad I made a significant amount of buying mistakes during the first 10 years of gaming or got lumped with additional games when getting a console or a specific game (Crash Bandicoot Fusion, Shadow the Hedgehog, Enter the Mastrix, Minority Report etc)

[Dcubed]

8 hours ago, Aperson said:

You know, I've been thinking about things and I realise... sometimes you have to play bad video games to help appreciate the good games better.

 

I can understand only wanting to play good games, naturally we all want to enjoy our time with the games we play. But that can lead to a very high standard in terms of what is acceptable, so the "lesser" games among the pile of good games you're playing might be considered bad games if its the only thing you've ever played.

 

For that reason I'm kind of glad I made a significant amount of buying mistakes during the first 10 years of gaming or got lumped with additional games when getting a console or a specific game (Crash Bandicoot Fusion, Shadow the Hedgehog, Enter the Mastrix, Minority Report etc)

Oh 100%! I LOVE playing bad games as a pallette cleanser!

In fact, I recently just slogged through Perfect Dark Zero for this exact reason.  Sometimes you're just really in the mood for some absolute, pure & undiluted shite!

And it's true.  It really does make you appreciate the great games that much more.  It's the same thing with movies, sometimes you're just really in the mood for a crappy B-movie; but it makes you appreciate the good stuff all the more!

Edited May 4, 2021 by Dcubed

[Cube]

My quest even goes as far as mobile games...honestly, I expected these to be far worse.

4. Sonic at the Olympic Games (Java)

• Original Platform: Mobile

A very simple mobile minigame collection, designed for pre-touchscreen phones. For it’s limitations, it’s not a bad little game. There are 5 events: Discus, 1500 Metres, Triple Jump, 500m Hurdles and Javelin. Discus, Javelin and Triple Jump work in a similar way where you build up energy and then once you throw/jump, you can use the energy to increase your height, dodging enemies and collecting rings. The running challenges have you tapping a button at the right times to maintain your speed – a bit like a free runner game, but on a simple course – although the running one has multiple paths and loops.

It’s nothing special, but manages to capture the spirit of Sonic over the main Wii game. I could see it as a decent minigame in a handheld Sonic game.

5. Sonic Jump (Android)

• Original Platform: Android/iOS
• Version Played: Android (now called Sonic Jump Pro on Play Store)

I was pleasantly surprised by this, it’s a nice mobile game – and a remake of a much older Java mobile game. Sonic automatically jumps up, and you have to reach the goal high up in the sky using tilt controls, which are actually very responsive. The levels are properly designed (although a random endless mode is also available), and utilise different kinds of platforms.

Some platforms will collapse after one jump, others won’t bounce you up (although you gain your double jump back – activated by tapping the screen – so it’s not instant death), some move, some spin, some fade out in a pattern. The game doesn’t tell you what these are the first time you encounter them, but they’re self explanatory.

Sonic Jump is a very solid mobile Sonic games, with some lovely backgrounds that remind me of Rayman Origins.

Sonic Jump has an item store, where you can spend rings (or real money). But these are essentially just cheats, and the game can be completed without any at all.

 

Edit: these images are appearing far bigger than during making the post.

[Glen-i]

14 minutes ago, Cube said:

Edit: these images are appearing far bigger than during making the post.

You can change the size of pictures by editing the post, holding Ctrl and right clicking the image.

[Dcubed]

You're even branching into the mobile junkware?

You are doing God's work @Cube I salute you!

[Cube]

6 minutes ago, Dcubed said:

You're even branching into the mobile junkware?

You are doing God's work @Cube I salute you!

Finding some of it is quite tricky. I'll be noting down any games I can't play once I get to them in the list. The main issues so far are "Sonic Cafe" mobile titles, a bunch of Japanese-only mobile games. I've found some of them, and I'm currently attempting to download a massive archive of java games that have some Sonic ones inside (unfortunately you need to download the entire amount - over 80Gb of Java games).

Part of this is also curiosity over which Sonic games (no matter how meaningless) are completely lost to time, or are very hard to play.

[Dcubed]

On 5/5/2021 at 10:31 AM, Cube said:

Finding some of it is quite tricky. I'll be noting down any games I can't play once I get to them in the list. The main issues so far are "Sonic Cafe" mobile titles, a bunch of Japanese-only mobile games. I've found some of them, and I'm currently attempting to download a massive archive of java games that have some Sonic ones inside (unfortunately you need to download the entire amount - over 80Gb of Java games).

Part of this is also curiosity over which Sonic games (no matter how meaningless) are completely lost to time, or are very hard to play.

Well would you speak of the devil...

https://forums.sonicretro.org/index.php?threads/sonic-kart-3dx-appears-to-have-been-discovered.40264/

Sonic Kart 3Dx has just resurfaced! Apparantly this person seems to have managed to archive every single Sonic Cafe title and looks like they might well be making them available to the public soon!