For many years I actually thought that Sonic the Hedgehog on the Master System was the same as the Mega Drive version only with 8-bit visuals. Not only is it a completely different game but it actually came out almost 6 months after the Mega Drive original.
There are some similarities, the opening stage is a version of Green Hill Zone (Complete with a nifty version of the level music) as are two others leaving 50% completely original locations. The general gameplay and structure of the game is also the same with several levels per each of the 6 zones followed by a fight with Robotnik and freeing the animals he captured as was the original game's premise.
The rest of the zones contained are different for both better and worse:
Zone 1 - Green hill - I like this zone, it's an easy going classic, there are reasons it or variations of it are normally starting zones
Zone 2 - Bridge - this is weirdly for a sonic game an auto scrolling zone. It kind of works though as this is a much slower paced platformer like it's Mega Drive counter part
Zone 3 - Jungle Zone - I have issues with this one listed below
Zone 4 - Labyrinth Zone - Another similar level from it's big brother, I like the underwater Sonic levels though I know I'm a minority there
Zone 5 - Scrap Brain Zone - So much better than it's big brothers version again, easier and less frustrating
Zone 6 - Sky Base Zone - I liked this level, had a great atmosphere
Of all the zones the only one I wasn't keen on was the Jungle zone. there is a section that's a bit tricky where you climb up a waterfall jumping on ledges and rocks. once the screen goes past a platform though it locks meaning if you try to jump back to it you instantly die even if it's a millimetre which is just kind of stupid. Other minor gameplay annoyances including how the rings work as the amount only matters for gaining extra lives. If sonic takes a hit he loses them all with one visible ring dropping you can't collect so essentially you only have the one hit to take regardless. The boss levels you don't have any rings at all though I kind of liked that as you had to learn the pattern and play skilfully. The bosses themselves aren't brutally hard though, especially to a seasoned Sonic player. Interestingly when you collect a bubble shield from a TV though it does transfer between levels so you can head into a boss with one as a possibility, I liked that.
There are Special Zones accessed through non boss stages when finishing with more than fifty rings as the only other use for them. This gives you the chance to get extra lives or continues by bouncing on springs to the end of the level in a time limit. There are no chaos emeralds here though, for a bit of a change they are actually hidden in the main levels requiring good jump control, using invincibility boxes to reach in spikes etc.
The game handles really well, the jumps and animations feel like a Sonic game should. The visuals and art design are the level of coloured and varied as I would expect, though the tiny enemy models are hilariously cute. The backgrounds are pretty static but Sonic's character model and animations are really well done. Interestingly this is actually the first game made by Ancient, the company formed by legendary composer Yuzo Koshiro. It was initially created to make this game specifically and it's Game Gear counter part before going on to later fame making Streets of rage and Beyond Oasis.
Overall I had a good time with this and the thing is I didn't expect to. It looks really nice for an 8-bit game, has a banger OST and plays well with some neat little ideas. Not everything works but overall it's a good little game.
+ Nice visuals and music.
+ Zones are fun and varied.
+ No ring bosses and emeralds on stages are different.
- Jungle Zone instant death isn't very well designed.
- Losing rings all at once is kind of lame.
There are some similarities, the opening stage is a version of Green Hill Zone (Complete with a nifty version of the level music) as are two others leaving 50% completely original locations. The general gameplay and structure of the game is also the same with several levels per each of the 6 zones followed by a fight with Robotnik and freeing the animals he captured as was the original game's premise.
The rest of the zones contained are different for both better and worse:
Zone 1 - Green hill - I like this zone, it's an easy going classic, there are reasons it or variations of it are normally starting zones
Zone 2 - Bridge - this is weirdly for a sonic game an auto scrolling zone. It kind of works though as this is a much slower paced platformer like it's Mega Drive counter part
Zone 3 - Jungle Zone - I have issues with this one listed below
Zone 4 - Labyrinth Zone - Another similar level from it's big brother, I like the underwater Sonic levels though I know I'm a minority there
Zone 5 - Scrap Brain Zone - So much better than it's big brothers version again, easier and less frustrating
Zone 6 - Sky Base Zone - I liked this level, had a great atmosphere
Of all the zones the only one I wasn't keen on was the Jungle zone. there is a section that's a bit tricky where you climb up a waterfall jumping on ledges and rocks. once the screen goes past a platform though it locks meaning if you try to jump back to it you instantly die even if it's a millimetre which is just kind of stupid. Other minor gameplay annoyances including how the rings work as the amount only matters for gaining extra lives. If sonic takes a hit he loses them all with one visible ring dropping you can't collect so essentially you only have the one hit to take regardless. The boss levels you don't have any rings at all though I kind of liked that as you had to learn the pattern and play skilfully. The bosses themselves aren't brutally hard though, especially to a seasoned Sonic player. Interestingly when you collect a bubble shield from a TV though it does transfer between levels so you can head into a boss with one as a possibility, I liked that.
There are Special Zones accessed through non boss stages when finishing with more than fifty rings as the only other use for them. This gives you the chance to get extra lives or continues by bouncing on springs to the end of the level in a time limit. There are no chaos emeralds here though, for a bit of a change they are actually hidden in the main levels requiring good jump control, using invincibility boxes to reach in spikes etc.
The game handles really well, the jumps and animations feel like a Sonic game should. The visuals and art design are the level of coloured and varied as I would expect, though the tiny enemy models are hilariously cute. The backgrounds are pretty static but Sonic's character model and animations are really well done. Interestingly this is actually the first game made by Ancient, the company formed by legendary composer Yuzo Koshiro. It was initially created to make this game specifically and it's Game Gear counter part before going on to later fame making Streets of rage and Beyond Oasis.
Overall I had a good time with this and the thing is I didn't expect to. It looks really nice for an 8-bit game, has a banger OST and plays well with some neat little ideas. Not everything works but overall it's a good little game.
+ Nice visuals and music.
+ Zones are fun and varied.
+ No ring bosses and emeralds on stages are different.
- Jungle Zone instant death isn't very well designed.
- Losing rings all at once is kind of lame.
So we back in the mine.. YEAA YEAAA OO YEAAAH here go Sonik!! After arduous training, he has decided to start his chilli hot dog addiction šØ fucked up his life at 12 years old. The game is a huge Sonic reference.... on the gear. Sonic I am not gonna sugarcoat here, u got me fuh'd up in the crib. 10 days in the joint made you a fucking pussy! Aside from small hiccups like going through platform, which you'd be excused for thinking it's a Sonic spin'off tradition, the cultural impact of Sonic GG (i played on Master System, eMuLaTeD obv, but the name is too cold sir š„¶) is that Yuzo Koshiro's company worked on the ports by sheer force of will. Whose force and whose will, I do not know.
Now here's what's gonna happen. You gonna say "I woke up, I found questionable level design, that's all I know". Do I need to state the obvious? I was not here. We goin undercover š¤Æš¤Æ ohno, my credible cover! My ass is expectin today, so I don't take "um we made a mostly straight unilayered path with mischievous enemy placement š¤" as the answer I'm craving for. It squashes your hope. Losing your entire wealth at the single touch of man? Now that is scary. Can't believe my grandparents are about to pass withour having experienced this. It's stomach-opening as they say. Chat, fill his belly with rings. He shan't starve again. Otherwise, the game's speed is...absolutely whelming. Now, it's like Sonic 1 genezis, so I find the defendant not guilty of this specific charge. Hold your hoes, trial not over.
Mr. Sonic GG, as the judge, jury and executioner, it pains me to admit... your visible world map bussin yo. There's nothing more I love in the morning that sip on my own of milk and cereal with the cereal before the milk before the Sonic before schooool and i have INTENSE diarrhea as I have consumed the boss fights!! A testament to my critical thinking, the constant one-shotting as me in intense bloodlust. The solution usually presents itself after a few tries lead to an unconventional method. Glory be to the CEO of sex, I suppose. World's smallest roller coaster... btw the rollercoaster loop things that Sonic used to be using are not there. So much the Master System can do I guess. But I disgress. I have a firm belief the boss fights are the same as Sonic 1, but it sure doesn't seem like it. The chase scene isn't here for instance, and it was that game's worst offender, after me.
Sonic GG has multiple of these offenders, as you've perhaps gathered at the present. El agua exploracĆon takes the cake and shoves it down my throat. One of the slowest they've ever been, some are saying. Ancient truly had a fickle mind about Sonic's essence. Their good work and intentions undermined by so many circumstances. They do have peculiarities, first one being the pinball-like bonus arena. Now, I don't really remember how it triggered, but no matter, we're in this bithc!! Fairly simple stuff. The chaos emeralds... I don't know if there is a Mandela effect or something else at play, but for the life of me I couldn't tell you there were any. Google is my only witness on this. Glad Sonic GG exists, though! All life matters. But maybe not underwater, catch my drift. Hold on I should use this pun for a certain racing game's review..
Now here's what's gonna happen. You gonna say "I woke up, I found questionable level design, that's all I know". Do I need to state the obvious? I was not here. We goin undercover š¤Æš¤Æ ohno, my credible cover! My ass is expectin today, so I don't take "um we made a mostly straight unilayered path with mischievous enemy placement š¤" as the answer I'm craving for. It squashes your hope. Losing your entire wealth at the single touch of man? Now that is scary. Can't believe my grandparents are about to pass withour having experienced this. It's stomach-opening as they say. Chat, fill his belly with rings. He shan't starve again. Otherwise, the game's speed is...absolutely whelming. Now, it's like Sonic 1 genezis, so I find the defendant not guilty of this specific charge. Hold your hoes, trial not over.
Mr. Sonic GG, as the judge, jury and executioner, it pains me to admit... your visible world map bussin yo. There's nothing more I love in the morning that sip on my own of milk and cereal with the cereal before the milk before the Sonic before schooool and i have INTENSE diarrhea as I have consumed the boss fights!! A testament to my critical thinking, the constant one-shotting as me in intense bloodlust. The solution usually presents itself after a few tries lead to an unconventional method. Glory be to the CEO of sex, I suppose. World's smallest roller coaster... btw the rollercoaster loop things that Sonic used to be using are not there. So much the Master System can do I guess. But I disgress. I have a firm belief the boss fights are the same as Sonic 1, but it sure doesn't seem like it. The chase scene isn't here for instance, and it was that game's worst offender, after me.
Sonic GG has multiple of these offenders, as you've perhaps gathered at the present. El agua exploracĆon takes the cake and shoves it down my throat. One of the slowest they've ever been, some are saying. Ancient truly had a fickle mind about Sonic's essence. Their good work and intentions undermined by so many circumstances. They do have peculiarities, first one being the pinball-like bonus arena. Now, I don't really remember how it triggered, but no matter, we're in this bithc!! Fairly simple stuff. The chaos emeralds... I don't know if there is a Mandela effect or something else at play, but for the life of me I couldn't tell you there were any. Google is my only witness on this. Glad Sonic GG exists, though! All life matters. But maybe not underwater, catch my drift. Hold on I should use this pun for a certain racing game's review..
I think I need to stop playing Sonic games because as someone who likes this more than the original Sonic the Hedgehog and whose favorite Sonic game is Sonic R, I keep having bad opinions.
My aunt once told me she regretted giving me a Mater System when I was three. She is just nine years my senior, so itās not like she had outgrown video games by then. She had no cartridges and could play Sonic the Hedgehog in the consoleās memory, which might maybe have been boring to her ā but to me, since Iād visit her only on weekends and didnāt know what a video game was, that was the most mesmerizing gadget imaginable. More than that: my concept of imagination was founded by those bright colors and jazzy, if crunched, music. And mesmerized by Sonic I was, which she noticed, and so she ended up giving her hard-earned video game console to me. āHad I known how obsessed you and your brother would become over it, even now,ā she said many years later, āI wouldnāt have done itā. She did change my life with that gesture, because I learned the language of games with a Sonic game for the Master System.
This is deeply influential in a number of ways. To this day, the way Iāll approach any new game resembles the childish curiosity with which I approached that game, and a certain set of expectations was created alongside said curiosity. This applies to all of you: the way you first approached games, and what you came to expect from them, as well as your history with them, colors your analyses. So Iām giving you full disclosure: in a very fundamental, irrational level, if you ever disagree with me about games, that might be (among other things) because I learned how to play games with Sonic on the Mater System.
And that game is very peculiar, in that itās quite a bit more methodical than most other Sonic games: each act in each zone is completely different from all the other acts in all the other zones, and makes it very clear. Each act in each stage has exactly one 1-Up monitor, and hides it differently; getting 100 rings gives you a life, but resets your ring counter; however, carrying 99 rings to the end of the stage brings you 9900 points, and every 50000 points will also give you an extra life. So getting to the end of the game involves a lot of figuring out, which, for a kid thatās pretty bad at the game and dies a lot, is a big deal. Itās very cerebral, in a number of ways, because planning and strategizing your performance just in order to survive becomes very important.
However, there was no way to figure that stuff out other than just trying things out and moving around a stage, because if the only thing I can control and use to interact with the environment is Sonic itself, heās also some sort of cursor in a computer screen ā except he doesnāt always act the way I want, or I end up finding something I didnāt want. This means I had to play the very best I could at every step of the way, because I could never rely on rings to back me up ā unlike you Sonic 2 for the Mega Drive snobs could. At the same time, each step was presented as somewhat self-contained, as a challenge that I wouldnāt find anywhere else in the game, not in the same way. This stage is an auto-scroller; this other one is a vertical level, and youāll die if you fall; this one has this section leading up to a 1-Up monitor, from which itās arbitrarily and randomly near-impossible to get out alive.
Thatās especially true for the Chaos Emeralds. You can see them just by playing normally, but learning how to get there often feels wrong (like getting hurt on purpose to get the emerald in Labyrinth Zone, because you couldnāt yet dream of being good enough to get it with the Invincibility from the monitor earlier still active). So thereās a choreography to it thatās less apparent in other Sonic games, but also an unruliness thatās less apparent in other games in general. As I grew up a little, I had access to other games (still not knowing what a Mega Drive was) and, most importantly, to other platformers. Which were fun and communicated their challenges much more clearly, but then gave me a sense that I was learning to do things as I was told, and the character was no longer a cursor for exploring the gameās system, whereas Sonic never intended to teach me anything.
Having learned how to appreciate this delicate balance, when I got around to discovering every game Sonic had to offer, thatās how I approached them too, and this led me to like the slower-paced or the strange bouncy assholes of later or weirder Sonic stages. So I love Marble Zone, Labyrinth Zone, Sandopolis and the entirety of Sonic CD. Because they feel more like Sonic 1 for the Master System, so they feel more like home.
This is deeply influential in a number of ways. To this day, the way Iāll approach any new game resembles the childish curiosity with which I approached that game, and a certain set of expectations was created alongside said curiosity. This applies to all of you: the way you first approached games, and what you came to expect from them, as well as your history with them, colors your analyses. So Iām giving you full disclosure: in a very fundamental, irrational level, if you ever disagree with me about games, that might be (among other things) because I learned how to play games with Sonic on the Mater System.
And that game is very peculiar, in that itās quite a bit more methodical than most other Sonic games: each act in each zone is completely different from all the other acts in all the other zones, and makes it very clear. Each act in each stage has exactly one 1-Up monitor, and hides it differently; getting 100 rings gives you a life, but resets your ring counter; however, carrying 99 rings to the end of the stage brings you 9900 points, and every 50000 points will also give you an extra life. So getting to the end of the game involves a lot of figuring out, which, for a kid thatās pretty bad at the game and dies a lot, is a big deal. Itās very cerebral, in a number of ways, because planning and strategizing your performance just in order to survive becomes very important.
However, there was no way to figure that stuff out other than just trying things out and moving around a stage, because if the only thing I can control and use to interact with the environment is Sonic itself, heās also some sort of cursor in a computer screen ā except he doesnāt always act the way I want, or I end up finding something I didnāt want. This means I had to play the very best I could at every step of the way, because I could never rely on rings to back me up ā unlike you Sonic 2 for the Mega Drive snobs could. At the same time, each step was presented as somewhat self-contained, as a challenge that I wouldnāt find anywhere else in the game, not in the same way. This stage is an auto-scroller; this other one is a vertical level, and youāll die if you fall; this one has this section leading up to a 1-Up monitor, from which itās arbitrarily and randomly near-impossible to get out alive.
Thatās especially true for the Chaos Emeralds. You can see them just by playing normally, but learning how to get there often feels wrong (like getting hurt on purpose to get the emerald in Labyrinth Zone, because you couldnāt yet dream of being good enough to get it with the Invincibility from the monitor earlier still active). So thereās a choreography to it thatās less apparent in other Sonic games, but also an unruliness thatās less apparent in other games in general. As I grew up a little, I had access to other games (still not knowing what a Mega Drive was) and, most importantly, to other platformers. Which were fun and communicated their challenges much more clearly, but then gave me a sense that I was learning to do things as I was told, and the character was no longer a cursor for exploring the gameās system, whereas Sonic never intended to teach me anything.
Having learned how to appreciate this delicate balance, when I got around to discovering every game Sonic had to offer, thatās how I approached them too, and this led me to like the slower-paced or the strange bouncy assholes of later or weirder Sonic stages. So I love Marble Zone, Labyrinth Zone, Sandopolis and the entirety of Sonic CD. Because they feel more like Sonic 1 for the Master System, so they feel more like home.
The physics are odd if you're used to the MegaDrive games but the 8-bit version of Sonic the Hedgehog is surprisingly good. The more platforming focused levels made for the weaker hardware are surprisingly fun and the game while more challenging than it's 16-bit counterpart has a mostly steady difficulty curve. That said the water physics in Labyrinth Zone feel pretty bad and really hurt the game for a few levels, and putting an autoscroller in a Sonic game for Bridge Zone Act 2 was a crime. The 8-bit soundtrack is fun and bouncy.
the better Sonic 1
maybe its the yuji naka's brain implant but i kinda enjoyed this one
Not as bad as I was expecting, the game itself is pretty easy and simple, with the only hard part being the slowdown killing me more than any enemies. Also auto-scrolling in a Sonic game is a weird idea to implement in a game about speed, but since Sonic would go off-screen if you go too fast it makes sense.
extremely mid but still interesting, with good music and art. just held back by some all around questionable level design, and screen crunch on game gear
Solid version of the game that controls pretty well. While I prefer the original, it is definitely worth it to give this one a shot.
Meh.
Surprisingly good for the time and platform it was released on. I would say it's about as good as Sonic 1 on the Genesis.
Honestly, I really dig 8-bit Sonic. It's definitely way more traditional against the trail-blazing genesis version, but I think something like this works way more for these 8-bit consoles.
I really enjoyed exploring to look for the emeralds. While I might have preferred a good special stage to find them, I enjoyed learning where they all were.
I wish certain levels actually gave you rings. I think bosses not giving you rings is the biggest flaw this game has, because you have to do it all in one shot. I ended up losing a lot of lives getting used to the bosses since I've never gone through the entirety of the Master System version before (I mainly played the Game Gear edition). I especially lost a lot of lives on Sky Base 2. Truly awful level.
The game definitely pales in comparison to its genesis version, and a lot of the blemishes here are revealed through comparison. I think they are pretty close to equals in terms of quality, but the genesis version is still clearly better.
7/10
I really enjoyed exploring to look for the emeralds. While I might have preferred a good special stage to find them, I enjoyed learning where they all were.
I wish certain levels actually gave you rings. I think bosses not giving you rings is the biggest flaw this game has, because you have to do it all in one shot. I ended up losing a lot of lives getting used to the bosses since I've never gone through the entirety of the Master System version before (I mainly played the Game Gear edition). I especially lost a lot of lives on Sky Base 2. Truly awful level.
The game definitely pales in comparison to its genesis version, and a lot of the blemishes here are revealed through comparison. I think they are pretty close to equals in terms of quality, but the genesis version is still clearly better.
7/10
The Master System version of this game isn't nearly as bad as it could've been. This was my very first Sonic game, I was about 4 years old at the time. It could have been simply an 8-bit version of the original, but it's actually its own game, with different levels and gameplay. It even has multiple endings!
Compared to the Genesis game, this is a little slower, which is kinda funny for "Sonic", and the level design is entirely different to fit this change. Yet despite how simple it is, I feel like it's a great 8-bit platformer in general. If this released on the NES/Famicom (And earlier than 1991), it could've been a big hit.
Feels weird to praise this so much and not give it a higher score, but it's because I still have to account for the fact that this is a much inferior version of the original. They did what they could with the tools they had, but it's still a simple game, that while good for an 8-bit platformer, is still not comparable in quality to the likes of Super Mario Bros. 3 and others.
SCORE: 6.5/10
Compared to the Genesis game, this is a little slower, which is kinda funny for "Sonic", and the level design is entirely different to fit this change. Yet despite how simple it is, I feel like it's a great 8-bit platformer in general. If this released on the NES/Famicom (And earlier than 1991), it could've been a big hit.
Feels weird to praise this so much and not give it a higher score, but it's because I still have to account for the fact that this is a much inferior version of the original. They did what they could with the tools they had, but it's still a simple game, that while good for an 8-bit platformer, is still not comparable in quality to the likes of Super Mario Bros. 3 and others.
SCORE: 6.5/10
O primeiro jogo que joguei e zerei na minha vida, joguei com a minha tia e foi super divertido, tenho muito carinho por ele. Recomendo
Obs: nĆ£o tenho dados do tempo que levei pra zerar
Obs: nĆ£o tenho dados do tempo que levei pra zerar
Sonic the Hedgehog, 8-bit. I like it!
Itās not got much to it really. Itās by far inferior to itās 16-bit counterpart, has almost no regard for designing sections around speed, and the Game Gear version has horrible slowdowns when more than a single entity is on the screen. Despite this it still feels like good classic Sonic to me somehow and is just a simple fun platformer with some cool level themes and a very charming soundtrack. (Who knew Yuzo Koshiro composed a Sonic game?)
One of the most charming things is the overworld map. A real effort was made to provide the player in-game some continuity between each zone and how the overall journey pans out across South Island. Something the 16-bit versions of Sonic 1 and 2 mostly didnāt try. You can actually see how we go from Jungle, to Labyrinth, to Scrap Brain, donāt just gotta take their word for it anymore.
Itās not got much to it really. Itās by far inferior to itās 16-bit counterpart, has almost no regard for designing sections around speed, and the Game Gear version has horrible slowdowns when more than a single entity is on the screen. Despite this it still feels like good classic Sonic to me somehow and is just a simple fun platformer with some cool level themes and a very charming soundtrack. (Who knew Yuzo Koshiro composed a Sonic game?)
One of the most charming things is the overworld map. A real effort was made to provide the player in-game some continuity between each zone and how the overall journey pans out across South Island. Something the 16-bit versions of Sonic 1 and 2 mostly didnāt try. You can actually see how we go from Jungle, to Labyrinth, to Scrap Brain, donāt just gotta take their word for it anymore.
As we move toward a world where our console games get ported even to our smartphones, the art of capturing the essence of a home-console game on a handheld is becoming a lost art. Sonic the Hedgehog has some history with this topic, but it all begins with a game that takes the wheels of familiarity off, setting the stage for how future handheld Sonic games approach connections with their older siblings.
I didn't know this existed till recently it was decent.
At first I thought it was an 8-bit port of the first game, but I was completely wrong
There was some bad ideas thrown in there, like an auto-scroller level (the idea itself isn't that bad, the problem is that it is on a Sonic game), but it still had some good ones like special stages being just bonus and to get the emeralds you search the stage
I don't get exactly the debate of which Sonic 1 is better, but I can confirm that neither one is bad
That being said, DON'T PLAY THE GAME GEAR VERSION
There was some bad ideas thrown in there, like an auto-scroller level (the idea itself isn't that bad, the problem is that it is on a Sonic game), but it still had some good ones like special stages being just bonus and to get the emeralds you search the stage
I don't get exactly the debate of which Sonic 1 is better, but I can confirm that neither one is bad
That being said, DON'T PLAY THE GAME GEAR VERSION
based baseado
I really enjoy this game on a technical and artistic level. What they were able to accomplish on this hardware is fantastic. The graphics blow other 8-bit games out of the water and every song on the soundtrack is great. Playing it, however, is an experience filled with screen crunch, slowdown, ghosting (on OG hardware), and an overall lackluster experience. Nonetheless, it is a fun romp, and I'd recommend it to any Sonic fan just to see how he made the leap backwards to a weaker system.
Really cool sonic game, the game controls amazingly and great ost as usual. The game is pretty difficult though.
Kinda prefer this over the mega drive version.
Kinda prefer this over the mega drive version.
what
This game promises speed, but it's more about tricky jumps than blazing trails. Still, the killer soundtrack and colorful levels make up for it. Sadly, the old hardware struggles to keep up, causing frustrating slowdown sometimes.
The master system truly was this odd but wonderful system for me as a child. I was lucky enough to get one at a yard sale in the summer of 2003 when I was 7 years old and at the peak of my sonic obsession. Sadly, the lot we got did not include this game but it did include a lot of other games such as Alex kidd and Ghostbusters.
I didn't get to play this until I unlocked the gamegear version on sonic adventure dx around the same age. At that time, I'm pretty sure I got to the jungle zone and gave up at the boss.
As an adult, I've probably finished this version about a dozen times and still enjoy coming back to it. Design wise, I always liked how the emeralds were found within the levels instead of an awkward special stage that feels more like a tech demo than anything (a recurring theme with the mainline genesis installments imo). I also like its arcade approach to scoring...it's really nice to hear that counter ticking down at the end when you manage to finish the game with all the emeralds and 20+ extra lives remaining.
Would I say it's better than the Genesis game? Not really. It suffers a lot due to the slowdown in Labyrinth zone. So much so that I'm such my everdrive didn't just snap in half. Why they chose to recreate this zone in the first place kind of boggles my mind when marble zone would've been a better candidate considering the difference of pace in this version. Sonic 1 8 bit is far more platforming heavy to be sure, and marble garden would've made more sense but oh well.
As it stands, it's well worth checking out and I'd say it's my favorite master system platformer besides the original Alex Kidd.
I didn't get to play this until I unlocked the gamegear version on sonic adventure dx around the same age. At that time, I'm pretty sure I got to the jungle zone and gave up at the boss.
As an adult, I've probably finished this version about a dozen times and still enjoy coming back to it. Design wise, I always liked how the emeralds were found within the levels instead of an awkward special stage that feels more like a tech demo than anything (a recurring theme with the mainline genesis installments imo). I also like its arcade approach to scoring...it's really nice to hear that counter ticking down at the end when you manage to finish the game with all the emeralds and 20+ extra lives remaining.
Would I say it's better than the Genesis game? Not really. It suffers a lot due to the slowdown in Labyrinth zone. So much so that I'm such my everdrive didn't just snap in half. Why they chose to recreate this zone in the first place kind of boggles my mind when marble zone would've been a better candidate considering the difference of pace in this version. Sonic 1 8 bit is far more platforming heavy to be sure, and marble garden would've made more sense but oh well.
As it stands, it's well worth checking out and I'd say it's my favorite master system platformer besides the original Alex Kidd.
mid
Uhhh, I'll be honest, I have no idea why I played this, but I'm glad I did. Something about this game has unique charm in a way that parallels Super Mario Land. However, Sonic's jump into the handheld universe was a much better controlling one. The blue blur controls so well here, it feels just like the original. The difficulty curve is very strange, as the majority of the game is quite easy, except for the last zone, which spikes significantly in difficulty. And it's impossible not to talk about the music; it sounds pretty great, and the Labyrinth Zone theme slaps, no questions asked. All in all, this is a fun little game to pick up and play. It has its flaws, like the screen crunch, but it's charming and has a great soundtrack. Plus, it doesn't have Marble Zone, so, score.
better than the 16 bit one, I don't care
timeless
Played it from time to time as a teenager but unfortunately never finished it. Even still, I really had fun with it back then. I actually think it was too difficult at one point and I just couldn't get any further as a young dumbo :D Maybe I should play it again, it is a classic after all.