CMWaters
Ozymandius
Rolled a Seven, Beat the Ads.
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Post by CMWaters on Mar 22, 2014 14:02:45 GMT -5
Actually, there is. When you destroy certain things in the past, then go to the future, in the "Good Future", there are no enemies to deal with. Alternatively, after you get all the Time Stones, you're defaulted Good Futures, so really staying in the present is never needed, and going to the past is only needed to destroy those objects. So you can just take what little challenge there already was out of a level? Man, that's...weird. The time travel mechanic is also annoying to me because it seems like every time I try to pull it off, I can't, but every time I actively don't want to pull it off, there I go. Usually after accidentally running into a sign that I couldn't see from offscreen. It's more a reward for doing things I see it as. Like getting all the Chaos Emeralds in Sonic 2 and Sonic 3/& Knuckles, allowing you to be able to turn into Super Sonic and plow through the level.
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Phosphor Glow
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Post by Phosphor Glow on Mar 22, 2014 14:08:14 GMT -5
So you can just take what little challenge there already was out of a level? Man, that's...weird. The time travel mechanic is also annoying to me because it seems like every time I try to pull it off, I can't, but every time I actively don't want to pull it off, there I go. Usually after accidentally running into a sign that I couldn't see from offscreen. It's more a reward for doing things I see it as. Like getting all the Chaos Emeralds in Sonic 2 and Sonic 3/& Knuckles, allowing you to be able to turn into Super Sonic and plow through the level. That makes sense, I suppose. I was never good enough to beat all the special stages, so I've never actually gotten all the Chaos Emeralds in any game. Either way, it just feels so haphazardly executed. It could've been a really neat idea, but it feels straight up unfinished. I could really say that about most of the game. Like, the level designs are all first drafts that don't flow well at all, the boss battles have neat ideas but are not particularly challenging...I dunno. I guess it's just not for me.
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Mozenrath
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Post by Mozenrath on Mar 22, 2014 14:16:11 GMT -5
Sonic Boom, Sonic Boom, Sonic Booooooom
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 23, 2014 1:23:59 GMT -5
I had it for Sega CD back in the 90's then again on the Gems collection for GC and again through download on PS3. It's an okay game but not my favorite old school Sonic game. As for the insane praise it gets...I don't know either. I think Sonic 3 locked on with Sonic and Knuckles is a far better title. CD has one of the most annoying levels in the entire series (Wacky Workbench) I couldn't stand that level...lol. It does have far better sounding music than the regular Genesis games but that's to be expected. Other than the music...it's not really much better than the other titles. Again...my opinion only but I'd rather play Sonic 3 + Knuckles than this one. Personally, I had more fun with Chaotix than Sonic CD. I would go back and replay that much more than I did CD. Always wanted to play Chaotix. Surprised Sega haven't re-release it yet.
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Post by Sponsored by Groose Wipes on Mar 23, 2014 2:35:27 GMT -5
Sonic CD I think is a really fantastic game but I can see how people can hate it. The time travel mechanic I'll admit is annoying because of load times and it really can bring the games momentum to a grinding stop and for a game where speed and momentum is everything, it's kind of a big issue I have with the game. The special stages I'll admit are not as good as say Sonic 2 or Sonic 3's but there's some fun to be had. The most fun I had was the time attack mode with me and my brother always trying to outdo our best times. It is a game that's when you look at gaming in 1993 is pretty damn good. Yes there's some rust on the iron but I still think it's one of the best sonic games out there.
The JP soundtrack could very well be my most loved soundtrack in gaming. It just has a "get up and jam" feel to it along with other songs that fit the stages perfectly. I hated how the US soundtrack went for a more darker and corruption theme to it. The US soundtrack has it's good songs but the JP soundtrack is a masterpiece. I had no plans to buy the 360 version until I heard it would come with both the US and JP soundtrack. Yeah I pretty much bought it so I could play it with the JP music, I love it that much.
I could get into more but I'll leave this post short. I really should think about getting into gaming reviews, maybe I could do something for FAN. :v
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FinalGwen
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
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Posts: 16,434
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Post by FinalGwen on Mar 23, 2014 3:01:56 GMT -5
The thing about the level design is that it works really well for speedruns (as Groose mentioned, you can probably have the most fun in the Time Attack mode, it does give you a new eye for the tricks, chained bounces, shortcuts, etc) but can seem a bit unintuitive when you're just looking for the time travel. Which given the thrust of the game is still a little odd, but as a general rule, things have a reason for being where they are, even if it's not immediately obvious... Except Wacky Workbench, that was a definite misfire. This flow is something it has in common with the first game, before the spindash took away a lot of the nuance of gaining momentum, after all, why design a game around momentum when you can get an instant boost at any time?
However, I do think the game's greatest strength is the graphical side of things. The stage art is just gorgeous, some of the best of the 16 bit era (Stardust Speedway's Past is still my personal favourite zone in the history of Sonic from a spriting perspective.) with nuanced differences between the four timezones, right down to damaged badniks in the bad futures. Combined with the astounding soundtrack - for most of the world, anyway - it really served to make the zones immersive.
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Post by DZ: WF Legacy on Mar 23, 2014 3:31:32 GMT -5
I, too, don't get it. But I've never fully given it my attention. A rental from 10 years ago and a quick playthrough on my iPod may not be giving the game justice. Truthfully, the only Sonic game I absolutely love is 2. I've played 3 recently, and it all goes totally south after Hydrocity Zone (which happens to be one of my favorite Sonic levels/music). I found that to be disappointing since Sonic 3 was my go-to "favorite Sonic game" as a kid. S&K is cool and so is the original, but nothing even comes close to topping 2 for me.
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Sigma: Current SRW Champ!
Dennis Stamp
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Post by Sigma: Current SRW Champ! on Mar 23, 2014 3:40:34 GMT -5
I would also like to throw in one more complaint. The special levels are beyond insane. The UFO's are ok, but the courses themselves and the crap way they control hamper any chance of getting all 7 Chao....I mean Time Stones.
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AFN: Judge Shred
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
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Post by AFN: Judge Shred on Mar 23, 2014 4:40:53 GMT -5
At the time it was, and probably still is my favorite Sonic game. It just always had that little something special for me. That said, I don't think any of the Sonic games have aged that gracefully, especially when compared to Mario.
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Malcolm
Grimlock
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Eternally Confused
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Post by Malcolm on Mar 23, 2014 5:16:02 GMT -5
At the time it was, and probably still is my favorite Sonic game. It just always had that little something special for me. That said, I don't think any of the Sonic games have aged that gracefully, especially when compared to Mario. I disagree. The first 3 games are still just as fun to play now as they were 20 years ago.
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Post by camsamurai06 on Mar 23, 2014 7:24:06 GMT -5
Had the games on my DS a while ago. Loved playing them. Doomsday is still a stage I can't get past.
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Post by The Summer of Muskrat XVII on Mar 23, 2014 8:12:52 GMT -5
Slightly off topic, but why the hell is Sonic 3 STILL not available for PSN!?!? It's been on XBLA for years has it not?
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Post by g1megatronfan on Mar 23, 2014 9:20:32 GMT -5
I had it for Sega CD back in the 90's then again on the Gems collection for GC and again through download on PS3. It's an okay game but not my favorite old school Sonic game. As for the insane praise it gets...I don't know either. I think Sonic 3 locked on with Sonic and Knuckles is a far better title. CD has one of the most annoying levels in the entire series (Wacky Workbench) I couldn't stand that level...lol. It does have far better sounding music than the regular Genesis games but that's to be expected. Other than the music...it's not really much better than the other titles. Again...my opinion only but I'd rather play Sonic 3 + Knuckles than this one. Personally, I had more fun with Chaotix than Sonic CD. I would go back and replay that much more than I did CD. Always wanted to play Chaotix. Surprised Sega haven't re-release it yet. It's a shame they haven't because I'd buy it in a heartbeat if they did. The Sega 32X gets a lot of shit from people but to be fair it did have some good games on it. Knuckles Chaotix is definitely one of them. The game just has a certain charm to it that makes it fun to play. Here's hoping Sega finally listens and eventually re-releases it on another collections release or via download in the future.
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Post by DoubleDare on Mar 23, 2014 9:55:10 GMT -5
I got a gamecube just to play this, since it was like 30 bucks used (The gamecube) and sonic gems had it. I'd rebuy it if they have it on ps4 since that had a better dpad than the xbox360. To me its a game that kinda grows on you after a couple playthroughs. I would like to play it to the japanese music, even tho I like the us soundtrack (its so 90s!)
The Sonic Advance games, and the sonic chaos and triple trouble for game gear are good ones as well.
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Phosphor Glow
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
Is a real girl!
Posts: 19,871
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Post by Phosphor Glow on Mar 23, 2014 12:28:58 GMT -5
Sonic CD I think is a really fantastic game but I can see how people can hate it. The time travel mechanic I'll admit is annoying because of load times and it really can bring the games momentum to a grinding stop and for a game where speed and momentum is everything, it's kind of a big issue I have with the game. The special stages I'll admit are not as good as say Sonic 2 or Sonic 3's but there's some fun to be had. The most fun I had was the time attack mode with me and my brother always trying to outdo our best times. It is a game that's when you look at gaming in 1993 is pretty damn good. Yes there's some rust on the iron but I still think it's one of the best sonic games out there. The JP soundtrack could very well be my most loved soundtrack in gaming. It just has a "get up and jam" feel to it along with other songs that fit the stages perfectly. I hated how the US soundtrack went for a more darker and corruption theme to it. The US soundtrack has it's good songs but the JP soundtrack is a masterpiece. I had no plans to buy the 360 version until I heard it would come with both the US and JP soundtrack. Yeah I pretty much bought it so I could play it with the JP music, I love it that much. I could get into more but I'll leave this post short. I really should think about getting into gaming reviews, maybe I could do something for FAN. :v Hell, even the speed and momentum doesn't really work in the context of the level design, here. It just sort of seems thrown together with little rhyme or reason. There are no real logical places to build up speed or momentum, but there are also no solid platforming sections, or...anything. It's just all thrown together, to me. And as far as context to 93...eh, I honestly am not sure I would've loved this then, either. I probably wouldn't have disliked it as much, but I'd still probably more often find myself playing any of the other Sonic games. Also, I don't think the JP soundtrack is that strong at all, to be honest. It's very unmemorable to me. The US soundtrack isn't any better, though. It's all just very bland. You should definitely do reviews though, you organize your thoughts very well! The thing about the level design is that it works really well for speedruns (as Groose mentioned, you can probably have the most fun in the Time Attack mode, it does give you a new eye for the tricks, chained bounces, shortcuts, etc) but can seem a bit unintuitive when you're just looking for the time travel. Which given the thrust of the game is still a little odd, but as a general rule, things have a reason for being where they are, even if it's not immediately obvious... Except Wacky Workbench, that was a definite misfire. This flow is something it has in common with the first game, before the spindash took away a lot of the nuance of gaining momentum, after all, why design a game around momentum when you can get an instant boost at any time? However, I do think the game's greatest strength is the graphical side of things. The stage art is just gorgeous, some of the best of the 16 bit era (Stardust Speedway's Past is still my personal favourite zone in the history of Sonic from a spriting perspective.) with nuanced differences between the four timezones, right down to damaged badniks in the bad futures. Combined with the astounding soundtrack - for most of the world, anyway - it really served to make the zones immersive. That's an interesting way to look at it, I might give that a shot. But honestly, I'm not looking for time travel in the levels. I'm actually actively trying to avoid those goddamn signs so I can just play the level. But yeah, I suppose if I play it in Time Attack mode I can find some sort of method to the madness of these levels. The differences between the time zones are interesting, it's just that I don't personally see any point in going between them.
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Malcolm
Grimlock
Wanted something done about the color of his ring.
Eternally Confused
Posts: 13,481
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Post by Malcolm on Mar 23, 2014 14:35:28 GMT -5
Slightly off topic, but why the hell is Sonic 3 STILL not available for PSN!?!? It's been on XBLA for years has it not? I have no clue. Thank goodness for the Ultimate Genesis Collection(even though it doesn't have Sonic 3 & Knuckles).
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Phosphor Glow
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
Is a real girl!
Posts: 19,871
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Post by Phosphor Glow on Mar 23, 2014 15:41:59 GMT -5
Slightly off topic, but why the hell is Sonic 3 STILL not available for PSN!?!? It's been on XBLA for years has it not? I have no clue. Thank goodness for the Ultimate Genesis Collection(even though it doesn't have Sonic 3 & Knuckles). Oh yeah, Ultimate Genesis Collection is f***ing awesome. I had it on 360 when I still had one of those. Need to get around to picking it up for my PS3.
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FinalGwen
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
Particularly fond of muffins.
Posts: 16,434
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Post by FinalGwen on Mar 23, 2014 16:18:16 GMT -5
Slightly off topic, but why the hell is Sonic 3 STILL not available for PSN!?!? It's been on XBLA for years has it not? I have no clue. Thank goodness for the Ultimate Genesis Collection(even though it doesn't have Sonic 3 & Knuckles). I've got a feeling that PSN and XBLA might eventually get new versions. The recent upgraded mobile versions made by Sonic Retro's "The Taxman" have long been speculated to be a beta test of sorts for console versions, getting all the bugs out of the way first so they don't have to worry about patches later on. Presumably once the series is finished off, Sega will see some money from putting all three onto the consoles in one collection.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Mar 23, 2014 16:57:43 GMT -5
I wish the re-release came with a soundtrack mix-and-match option. Both soundtracks were good, but were definitely superior in certain areas (Stardust Speedway US > Stardust Speedway JP, Collision Chaos JP > Collision Chaos US).
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Post by Wolf Hawkfield no1 NZ poster on Mar 24, 2014 15:38:12 GMT -5
Gameplay wise while good isn't the best in the 2D series but I would say the soundtrack is second to none.
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