I've seen some revisionism about the original 16-bit Sonic the Hedgehog games. Some people have been claiming that not only do the games not hold up, but in fact they were never good; anyone who believed so as a kid was just bamboozled by marketing nonsense about blast processing and doing what Nintendon't. I'd like to set the record straight.
I can't defend any post-Megadrive Sonic game (except Sonic Mania, which owns) but there are three good 16-bit Sonic games and one that's okay, and I won't idly sit by and let people talk mess about pre-1995 Sonic.
The most common complaint I see is that it sucks when you lose momentum. You're running along, going fast as you gotta do, when suddenly you don't roll into a ball fast enough and get hit by an enemy. You're knocked back, your rings go flying everywhere, and suddenly you're at a standstill. If there's even a small incline ahead of you, you have to tediously trudge or jump your way forward until you get to a spot where you can get up to speed again.
I agree, this is frustrating, and it was a problem for sure—in Sonic the Hedgehog 1. They realized this was a problem and immediately fixed it in the next game in the series by adding the spin-dash. No matter where you are, you can press down on the D-pad and the jump button to instantly get back up to full speed. The three great Sonic games all had the spindash: Sonic 2, Sonic CD, and Sonic & Knuckles.1 Yes, you lose momentum sometimes in Sonic 1, and it's not fun, but the levels are designed to make it as painless as possible. You usually have room to back up a bit to get back up to speed, and sometimes it gives you a spring to help you along. But Sonic 1 has some other rough edges, and I can see why people wouldn't be into it. That's why I just consider the game okay.
The other complaint I see a lot is that the marketing lied to us, the Sonic games aren't actually that fast, they're just as slow as any other platformer, and if you try to go fast you'll just hit obstacle after obstacle, until you run out of rings and die.
And, yes: the marketing lied to us. Sonic the Hedgehog is, for the most part, a traditional platformer. That's why it takes time for Sonic to build up momentum. The marketing implied that you'd just be blasting along at full speed all the time, and listen to me: you don't want that game. You know what that game is? Sonic Rush on the Nintendo DS. I'm not saying that game is bad, it's just not for me. It's for people who want that nonstop speedrun-oriented action. And judging by the mixed reception Sonic Rush and its sequel got, that's not most people. (although I am a big fan of the incredible soundtrack, by Hideki Naganuma of Jet Set Radio fame)
16-bit Sonic is a sidescrolling platformer, like Mario. Not as good as Mario, no one's going to argue that, but still pretty good. The levels are huge and contain a lot of secrets. That's why they give you a 10 minute time limit: sure, with enough practice you can get pretty good at the levels and speed through them in seconds, but for the casual player, they're much better if you play them like you'd play Mario. Take your time. Look around. There are portions of levels designed for you to go fast, usually somewhat on rails, and the sense of speed you get during these sections is fun, but you shouldn't let them dictate how you approach the rest of the game. Slow down! Enjoy the sights and sounds! The games are beautiful and the music owns. You do not, at the end of the day, got to go fast. If that's still not your cup of tea, that's fine, but they're good games.
1. Omission of Sonic 3 intentional. ↩
I can't defend any post-Megadrive Sonic game (except Sonic Mania, which owns) but there are three good 16-bit Sonic games and one that's okay, and I won't idly sit by and let people talk mess about pre-1995 Sonic.
The most common complaint I see is that it sucks when you lose momentum. You're running along, going fast as you gotta do, when suddenly you don't roll into a ball fast enough and get hit by an enemy. You're knocked back, your rings go flying everywhere, and suddenly you're at a standstill. If there's even a small incline ahead of you, you have to tediously trudge or jump your way forward until you get to a spot where you can get up to speed again.
I agree, this is frustrating, and it was a problem for sure—in Sonic the Hedgehog 1. They realized this was a problem and immediately fixed it in the next game in the series by adding the spin-dash. No matter where you are, you can press down on the D-pad and the jump button to instantly get back up to full speed. The three great Sonic games all had the spindash: Sonic 2, Sonic CD, and Sonic & Knuckles.1 Yes, you lose momentum sometimes in Sonic 1, and it's not fun, but the levels are designed to make it as painless as possible. You usually have room to back up a bit to get back up to speed, and sometimes it gives you a spring to help you along. But Sonic 1 has some other rough edges, and I can see why people wouldn't be into it. That's why I just consider the game okay.
The other complaint I see a lot is that the marketing lied to us, the Sonic games aren't actually that fast, they're just as slow as any other platformer, and if you try to go fast you'll just hit obstacle after obstacle, until you run out of rings and die.
And, yes: the marketing lied to us. Sonic the Hedgehog is, for the most part, a traditional platformer. That's why it takes time for Sonic to build up momentum. The marketing implied that you'd just be blasting along at full speed all the time, and listen to me: you don't want that game. You know what that game is? Sonic Rush on the Nintendo DS. I'm not saying that game is bad, it's just not for me. It's for people who want that nonstop speedrun-oriented action. And judging by the mixed reception Sonic Rush and its sequel got, that's not most people. (although I am a big fan of the incredible soundtrack, by Hideki Naganuma of Jet Set Radio fame)
16-bit Sonic is a sidescrolling platformer, like Mario. Not as good as Mario, no one's going to argue that, but still pretty good. The levels are huge and contain a lot of secrets. That's why they give you a 10 minute time limit: sure, with enough practice you can get pretty good at the levels and speed through them in seconds, but for the casual player, they're much better if you play them like you'd play Mario. Take your time. Look around. There are portions of levels designed for you to go fast, usually somewhat on rails, and the sense of speed you get during these sections is fun, but you shouldn't let them dictate how you approach the rest of the game. Slow down! Enjoy the sights and sounds! The games are beautiful and the music owns. You do not, at the end of the day, got to go fast. If that's still not your cup of tea, that's fine, but they're good games.
1. Omission of Sonic 3 intentional. ↩
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