I got Sonic in my pocket. Shrunk him down, been feeding him grains of rice and water from a thimble.
It's 1999 and Dimps is given their first 2D Sonic assignment, and what do they come up with? An 8-bit game released for the Neo Geo Pocket Color that remixes Sonic the Hedgehog 2 levels with Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles music. It almost feels like a ROM hack or a practical joke, because it's just so weird. And yet, it kinda works?
Naturally, Sonic Pocket Adventure suffers from some of the same problems as the Game Gear games. The screen crunch is still pretty bad and level designs are dumbed down, but it makes up for these shortcomings by providing a good sense of speed and spectacle. Yeah, you might not feel particularly inclined to explore, but levels do have a good sense of flow, and it's impressive to see how well the Sonic 2 special stages are carried over here. It's a sort of half-step between the original 8-bit titles and the 16-bit classics, not quite what you'd want from a 2D Sonic but a definite improvement from the Master System days.
I kind of miss this period in the late 90's and early 2000s where other companies were (again) trying to break into the handheld market. Much of this era was defined by the tastes of Japanese consumers, which meant you got a lot of strange, varied devices with shells that played to the unique aesthetic of the early aughts, which is to say they looked a bit over-designed and gaudy in a way that was wonderfully charming. And then the Gizmondo came along like an out-of-control Ferrari Enzo and fucked it all up.
There have been others since who have tried to take some of Nintendo's marketshare, but as time goes on these wouldbe competitors are offering devices that all feel very homogenized - especially as performance starts to intersect with home consoles - resulting in handhelds that are far less unique and lacking in the sort of personality characteristic of those in the early 2000s. What I'm saying is, you can't just emulate Sonic Pocket Adventure on your Steamdeck and get the same experience. You'll think you have experienced it, but you'll be cheated. It's such a sadness that you think you've played Sonic Pocket Adventure on your fucking Steamdeck. Get real.
It's 1999 and Dimps is given their first 2D Sonic assignment, and what do they come up with? An 8-bit game released for the Neo Geo Pocket Color that remixes Sonic the Hedgehog 2 levels with Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles music. It almost feels like a ROM hack or a practical joke, because it's just so weird. And yet, it kinda works?
Naturally, Sonic Pocket Adventure suffers from some of the same problems as the Game Gear games. The screen crunch is still pretty bad and level designs are dumbed down, but it makes up for these shortcomings by providing a good sense of speed and spectacle. Yeah, you might not feel particularly inclined to explore, but levels do have a good sense of flow, and it's impressive to see how well the Sonic 2 special stages are carried over here. It's a sort of half-step between the original 8-bit titles and the 16-bit classics, not quite what you'd want from a 2D Sonic but a definite improvement from the Master System days.
I kind of miss this period in the late 90's and early 2000s where other companies were (again) trying to break into the handheld market. Much of this era was defined by the tastes of Japanese consumers, which meant you got a lot of strange, varied devices with shells that played to the unique aesthetic of the early aughts, which is to say they looked a bit over-designed and gaudy in a way that was wonderfully charming. And then the Gizmondo came along like an out-of-control Ferrari Enzo and fucked it all up.
There have been others since who have tried to take some of Nintendo's marketshare, but as time goes on these wouldbe competitors are offering devices that all feel very homogenized - especially as performance starts to intersect with home consoles - resulting in handhelds that are far less unique and lacking in the sort of personality characteristic of those in the early 2000s. What I'm saying is, you can't just emulate Sonic Pocket Adventure on your Steamdeck and get the same experience. You'll think you have experienced it, but you'll be cheated. It's such a sadness that you think you've played Sonic Pocket Adventure on your fucking Steamdeck. Get real.
Is what it says, I can put it in my pocket and it can certainly take me on an adventure
Sonic Pocket Adventure takes Sonic 2 and 3, blends their level themes together, yet creates unique 8-bit level layouts. But this game isn't perfect at all.
The screen crunch makes this title unsatisfactory in many ways, an example of this is in the aerobase zone where you can't really see where to go for most of the jumps that leads to death, nor can you figure out shortcuts without taking the risk and just diving off the stage.
Special stages are in the deep end as it only gives you one shot to beat the stage if you fail you lose the chaos emerald making you unable to get to the true final boss, so be prepared to tear your hair out.
Overall though, I think this title captures the classic titles perfectly by providing its pocket-sized adventure that takes elements of its predecessors before Sonic Mania, keeping the speed of the hedgehog but be prepared to tackle this game more than once for some of the unfair challenges ahead
Sonic Pocket Adventure takes Sonic 2 and 3, blends their level themes together, yet creates unique 8-bit level layouts. But this game isn't perfect at all.
The screen crunch makes this title unsatisfactory in many ways, an example of this is in the aerobase zone where you can't really see where to go for most of the jumps that leads to death, nor can you figure out shortcuts without taking the risk and just diving off the stage.
Special stages are in the deep end as it only gives you one shot to beat the stage if you fail you lose the chaos emerald making you unable to get to the true final boss, so be prepared to tear your hair out.
Overall though, I think this title captures the classic titles perfectly by providing its pocket-sized adventure that takes elements of its predecessors before Sonic Mania, keeping the speed of the hedgehog but be prepared to tackle this game more than once for some of the unfair challenges ahead
This is basically a portable version of sonic 2 which is pretty impressive for 1999 although hill top, aquatic mine and oil ocean were cut. It did add some cool unique moments and most of the music are amazing sonic 3 remixes. Only issues are the controls is slighty rough and the normal ending final boss is pretty lame
honestly pretty dece
I still think combining Metropolis Zone with Scrap Brain Zone is a crazy ass thing to do
it's like sonic 2 if it wasn't good
the sonic 3 chiptune remixes kick ass though
the sonic 3 chiptune remixes kick ass though
i can't tell how much the concentrated cruelty i experienced was just because sonic 2 was like that [haven't played in ages, can't tell] or because of screen crunch. probably moreso the latter mixed with the secret third thing of new dr. suess logic. get the 7th emerald by making sure to bump it off the final boss even after the torture of the downscaled special stages? you have to step on tiny atomic explosions to reach eggman? applying sonic 1's special stage access method to a game that doesn't have three acts in a zone, in a game that otherwise is just Mini Sonic 2?? oh brother.
Uma surpresa agradável, basicamente uma saladinha de vários elementos dos jogos do ouriço, com seu level design majoritariamente retirado de Sonic 2. O que mais chama atenção é ver o mascote da Sega ganhando um título exclusivo em um portátil da SNK, essa cruza exótica já prende o suficiente a atenção dos mais fãs como eu, e comigo amando Sonic 2 claramente acabei curtindo bastante este jogo também
Depois de uma série de tentativas da Sega de trazer o Sonic para o seu console 8 bits ou seu portátil, aqui finalmente vemos isso feito com considerável maestria. Visual fantástico, física sólida, controles bastante competentes e mesmo com todas as fases sendo reaproveitadas, todas elas possuem notável diferenciação em level design. Não me importo com retakes desde que possuam o mínimo de originalidade, e mesmo que tenham jogado no seguro por aqui, foi tudo bem divertidinho de se jogar
Além de nunca perder um bom ritmo, vários bosses são originais e os que não são ainda são muito bacanas de se ver no jogo, como o Knuckles reprisando seu papel em Sonic 3. Pode não ser uma experiência essencial nem destacável, mas tendo me tirado uns sorrisinhos já me sinto bastante confortado
Depois de uma série de tentativas da Sega de trazer o Sonic para o seu console 8 bits ou seu portátil, aqui finalmente vemos isso feito com considerável maestria. Visual fantástico, física sólida, controles bastante competentes e mesmo com todas as fases sendo reaproveitadas, todas elas possuem notável diferenciação em level design. Não me importo com retakes desde que possuam o mínimo de originalidade, e mesmo que tenham jogado no seguro por aqui, foi tudo bem divertidinho de se jogar
Além de nunca perder um bom ritmo, vários bosses são originais e os que não são ainda são muito bacanas de se ver no jogo, como o Knuckles reprisando seu papel em Sonic 3. Pode não ser uma experiência essencial nem destacável, mas tendo me tirado uns sorrisinhos já me sinto bastante confortado
Sort of like a "Best of" compilation of classic Sonic zones, mostly from Sonic 2, with new layouts. It looks and runs and looks great, it's pretty solid all around, it's just that if I have a Sonic itch, I'm probably just gonna play the Genesis games or Mania, but this is still pretty damn good
Best 2D Sonic game for my money. Also one of the many reasons that the NeoGeo Pocket Color was a dope console.
Really not too much original here, but the level design is made well for the small screen and the sprites are charming.
Simple but fun remix of Sonic 2 for an underrated handheld.
Pra o que se propõe é um excelente jogo, trilha ótima e física perfeita
Pa ser un juego de la Neo Geo Pocket está muy guapo
By far one of the most niche Sonic games that’s never been released on anything else, Sonic Pocket Adventure is essentially a twist on Sonic 2, with music from Sonic 3. Stages may have different names, but they are in essence, levels from Sonic 2 with some slight design changes.
Sonic controls like he does in the Genesis games, so not complaints there, though he is the only playable character outside of multiplayer.
The only real differences are the bosses and the special stages. Bosses are all original contraptions and I love how Dr Eggmans look transitions from the Classic style to the Adventure Style by the end of the game. There’s an added Super Sonic fight if you’re able to get the all emeralds, but that’s pretty hard when the special stages are really hard versions of the half pipe. You also only get 1 attempt at an emerald per zone and exactly enough attempts to get them all. It’s stupid, and you can’t even use Super Sonic outside of the final boss.
That aside I love how this game looks, and there’s some extra content in puzzle pieces to collect if you fancy it.
This is an absolutely fun and fine Sonic game, it’s just not much in originality.
Sonic controls like he does in the Genesis games, so not complaints there, though he is the only playable character outside of multiplayer.
The only real differences are the bosses and the special stages. Bosses are all original contraptions and I love how Dr Eggmans look transitions from the Classic style to the Adventure Style by the end of the game. There’s an added Super Sonic fight if you’re able to get the all emeralds, but that’s pretty hard when the special stages are really hard versions of the half pipe. You also only get 1 attempt at an emerald per zone and exactly enough attempts to get them all. It’s stupid, and you can’t even use Super Sonic outside of the final boss.
That aside I love how this game looks, and there’s some extra content in puzzle pieces to collect if you fancy it.
This is an absolutely fun and fine Sonic game, it’s just not much in originality.
You wanna play sonic 2 but Small? With sonic 3 & knuckles music in different key signatures? Probably not honestly there's not much reason to continue going with this joke
I remember watching a review where someone said the Game Gear Sonic games were good enough to warrant a playthrough, and I couldn't agree. 8bit Sonic 1 and 2 were pretty forgettable to me, despite some original levels and gimmicks. They just didn't feel very good to play at all.
But Pocket Adventure? That's a different story.
Sure, the NGPC is a 16bit handheld, but you could fool me into thinking this is actually a well made 8bit Sonic game. It looks great, really. Sounds great too, although the music choices for certain zones were kind of weird. (Hydrocity playing in Chemical plant...?)
But actually controlling Sonic is what makes this game the only "early handheld" game in the series that's really worth checking out. Great sense of speed, tons of air time by spindashing+jumping off a slope, it all just feels right.
Oh, and no Oil Ocean Zone, so this is the definitive way to play Sonic 2. /s
But Pocket Adventure? That's a different story.
Sure, the NGPC is a 16bit handheld, but you could fool me into thinking this is actually a well made 8bit Sonic game. It looks great, really. Sounds great too, although the music choices for certain zones were kind of weird. (Hydrocity playing in Chemical plant...?)
But actually controlling Sonic is what makes this game the only "early handheld" game in the series that's really worth checking out. Great sense of speed, tons of air time by spindashing+jumping off a slope, it all just feels right.
Oh, and no Oil Ocean Zone, so this is the definitive way to play Sonic 2. /s
At this point, I've exhausted so much of the Sonic franchise that all I have left are the more obscure stuff to truly sink my teeth into. SegaSonic will probably allude me until I can finagle my way through setting up MAME on my Steam Deck, but aside from that, all I had left until recently are the Boom trilogy, 8-Bit Sonic 2, Free Riders, UnWiished, Knuckles' Chaotix, actually finishing Secret Rings, and Sonic Pocket Adventure. Not the most stellar lineup, but I've been chipping away the last few weeks. So, after Knuckles' Chaotix provided me with one of the worst 2D Sonic experiences I've had in a minute, I think only a few words can sum up my feelings after completing Sonic Pocket Adventure.
"Finally, some good fucking 2D Sonic."
You're not getting much out of Sonic Pocket Adventure that you haven't already seen or heard before; it's pretty heavily leaning on Sonic 2's zone themes with bits of Sonic 1's in there, and mostly uses remixes of Sonic 3's OST as far as its sights and sounds are concerned. Definitely wish some of the music was chosen better; the Sonic 3 bonus stages get used as regular level themes, and the final boss is the Sky Sanctuary theme. The OST as a whole is just remixes of pretty great tracks already, so there isn't much to complain about besides their useage and the bitcrushed nature of them, but it's worth taking a note that your eyes and ears aren't getting much new here. Whole game definitely pops visually, though, as expected from SNK at the time. Really colourful, and I adore the unique sprite set that Sonic has.
There's also the unfortunate Dimpsisms seen throughout; things like sudden bottomless pits, pretty special stage problems pretaining both to overly slippery controls and overly specific entrance conditions, you can unfortunately see a few of the seeds from some of the more aggrivating quirks of the Advance and Rush games being planted here. Game also has a bit of weird hitbox fuckery with things on the crushers, shoutout to them killing me while moving upwards while I was just touching the side of them from the ground, that's cool.
But for Dimps' first attempt at 2D Sonic, in what's meant to be something akin to a Mega Man Xtreme sort of "small scale rehash on a handheld" type of deal? It's pretty damn good! Absolutely love the spritework, the physics are pretty spot on, and there's enough unique content between the game's level design and boss fights to warrent checking out, unlike what it possibly could've been if it really went down the Mega Man Xtreme route and just felt like a truncated mishmash of Sonic 1 and 2's level designs and bosses wholesale. A really great time, hoping this one day leaves the NGPC hell and gets a wider rerelease!
You know, they had a really good chance to put this in that second Neo Geo collection on Switch, we could've had a box art with Sonic and Mega Man on it, but we truly live in an unjust and cruel society...
"Finally, some good fucking 2D Sonic."
You're not getting much out of Sonic Pocket Adventure that you haven't already seen or heard before; it's pretty heavily leaning on Sonic 2's zone themes with bits of Sonic 1's in there, and mostly uses remixes of Sonic 3's OST as far as its sights and sounds are concerned. Definitely wish some of the music was chosen better; the Sonic 3 bonus stages get used as regular level themes, and the final boss is the Sky Sanctuary theme. The OST as a whole is just remixes of pretty great tracks already, so there isn't much to complain about besides their useage and the bitcrushed nature of them, but it's worth taking a note that your eyes and ears aren't getting much new here. Whole game definitely pops visually, though, as expected from SNK at the time. Really colourful, and I adore the unique sprite set that Sonic has.
There's also the unfortunate Dimpsisms seen throughout; things like sudden bottomless pits, pretty special stage problems pretaining both to overly slippery controls and overly specific entrance conditions, you can unfortunately see a few of the seeds from some of the more aggrivating quirks of the Advance and Rush games being planted here. Game also has a bit of weird hitbox fuckery with things on the crushers, shoutout to them killing me while moving upwards while I was just touching the side of them from the ground, that's cool.
But for Dimps' first attempt at 2D Sonic, in what's meant to be something akin to a Mega Man Xtreme sort of "small scale rehash on a handheld" type of deal? It's pretty damn good! Absolutely love the spritework, the physics are pretty spot on, and there's enough unique content between the game's level design and boss fights to warrent checking out, unlike what it possibly could've been if it really went down the Mega Man Xtreme route and just felt like a truncated mishmash of Sonic 1 and 2's level designs and bosses wholesale. A really great time, hoping this one day leaves the NGPC hell and gets a wider rerelease!
You know, they had a really good chance to put this in that second Neo Geo collection on Switch, we could've had a box art with Sonic and Mega Man on it, but we truly live in an unjust and cruel society...
I think this takes place like a week before adventure 1 and i can prove that
IGN 10/10 so wait IGN you're telling me that Sonic was never good and unleashed sucks but this mediocre game is a masterpiece?
sonic 2 and 3 thrown in a blender, then left in an alleyway for crackheads to ignore
Yeah its fine, just a diet version of Sonic 2 with slight screen crunch and great chiptune versions of Sonic & Knuckles music (Sky Sanctury during the true final boss lolwut).
I will say, despite using save states, the way the Emeralds are handled is really dumb. Uses the two act structure of Sonic 2, but the "big ring at the end of the stage" thing from Sonic 1. Can only get the ring in Ac t 1, extrapolate from there.
I will say, despite using save states, the way the Emeralds are handled is really dumb. Uses the two act structure of Sonic 2, but the "big ring at the end of the stage" thing from Sonic 1. Can only get the ring in Ac t 1, extrapolate from there.
A Very Underlooked But Remarkable 2D Platformer
Sonic Pocket Adventure is the perfect game for anyone who enjoyed the genesis classics even remotely as it captures the spirit of those games well.To the point of reusing level themes in a inoffensive way as it takes the themes but brings completely new level design to the table in a Sonic Mania like fashion.I think its really impressive how good the spritework is in this game considering its limited hardware and its less screencrunched than the "Advance" games ontop of having airtight controls.And for a very out of the blue handheld game the bossfights are very creative sporting many unique gimmics my personal biggest problem about the game is that it really had to reuse Metropolis Zone.Conclusion is if you have access to this game by the limited various ways to play it I cant recommend it enough for a genesis sonic game fan as its everything that made those games good.
TRIVIA
There is a playable prototype for the game that you can find on the internet that has a few minor differences if you want to do so!
Sonic Pocket Adventure is the perfect game for anyone who enjoyed the genesis classics even remotely as it captures the spirit of those games well.To the point of reusing level themes in a inoffensive way as it takes the themes but brings completely new level design to the table in a Sonic Mania like fashion.I think its really impressive how good the spritework is in this game considering its limited hardware and its less screencrunched than the "Advance" games ontop of having airtight controls.And for a very out of the blue handheld game the bossfights are very creative sporting many unique gimmics my personal biggest problem about the game is that it really had to reuse Metropolis Zone.Conclusion is if you have access to this game by the limited various ways to play it I cant recommend it enough for a genesis sonic game fan as its everything that made those games good.
TRIVIA
There is a playable prototype for the game that you can find on the internet that has a few minor differences if you want to do so!
this is one of the greatest handheld video games of all time and has some of the best character sprites i've ever seen
This game isn't anything special but it is still fun.
If you enjoy classic Sonic and haven't given it a go I would definitely recommend it. It isn't perfect (and is kinda unoriginal) and the final couple stages can be a bit cheap. But overall a decent package.
If you enjoy classic Sonic and haven't given it a go I would definitely recommend it. It isn't perfect (and is kinda unoriginal) and the final couple stages can be a bit cheap. But overall a decent package.
It's basically portable Sonic 2 mixed with Sonic 3&K. It's pretty fun and is a solid game
Super derivative of the genesis games, but it comes together to be a pretty enjoyable experience.
Not bad, not bad
Ok, this game ticked me off. It didn't do anything like unforgiveable, but I got all the Chaos Emeralds...and the final zone didn't pop. There's only 6 special stages so I was expecting the last one to be plot, but I guess not. And I am NOT REPLAYING these special stages. They seriously make this game go from a fun romp that bridges the Classic and Modern games to HELL WHERE YOU WILL BE SAVE STATING OVER AND OVER AND OVER. Neo Geo Half Pipes are the worst. Do not go for full completion here, just play it. Because stage wise? It's fun! Kinda a retread of Sonic 2 plot wise with Knuckles also being here with a boss fight I liked. His sprite art was also great. It all is here, the characters have their classic proportions, but the colored eyes. It's cool. Eggman even changes outfits midway through. It's a shame this game isn't canon though, due to it kinda being in legal limbo between SNK and Sega. I view it as a cool bridge between the classic and modern games. Definitely worth a play for history’s sake.
It's an interesting game, in that its one of the only games in the franchise that really blurs the line of "Classic Sonic" and "Modern Sonic", this game was basically Sonic Mania before Sonic Mania, taking elements of all the original trilogy and mashing them all up. Its pretty good, better than the Game Gear titles I would say, but worse than the Advance trilogy. Its lack of originality takes it down a peg in my opinion. It really is just that perfect bridge of what 2D Sonic handheld titles would be, the culmination of what the Game Gear / Master System titles had been building up to, and the first steps of the Advance series, transitioning to modern designs halfway through. It has much better jump physics than most handheld equivalents of the era, that's something they always tend to mess up in my opinion, Sonic on the Game Gear and the Mario Land series just have really floaty jumps, ruining the game feel when compared to its console counterparts, but this game does a better job at translating fluid jump physics to a weaker device, a better job, not a perfect one however mind you, since the physics in Sonic games are so intricate it's a hard thing to nail exactly, but its more than adequate. This game is also infamously the game that got a perfect 10/10 from IGN in its review, not sure I'd go that far, but, hey it's pretty great.