This is a strange case. Given that it's essentially the first half of something that had to be hastily expanded upon (the original plan was apparently for this and SONIC & KNUCKLES to be one game), it makes sense that it feels both bloated and yet incomplete.
The biggest change here is that the levels are huuuuuuge -- around two to three times bigger than usual. Unfortunately, I think this was kind of a serious mistake and it singlehandedly torpedoes the whole game. If they had had some more interesting new level ideas/gimmicks^ they might have carried it off, but as they are, most of the stages end up getting dull by the end. Sonic levels should not be pushing ten minutes long! Especially when they're just kind of ... there. Not that hard, but not that exciting either. Feels like going through the motions. For a LONG time.
^(a couple of the new level thingies are pretty cool, mostly the ones having to do with momentum and getting sprung upwards)
The graphics feel a bit uninspired -- there is no standout level, really, like Green Hill or Chemical Plant. And also, the new Michael Jackson-style music isn't very good. It mostly amounts to a lot of crappy voice samples and repetitive hooks that don't feel particularly 'Sonic'. Whether it was actually written by him or not, it's kind of a weird fit and I miss the older stuff.
There are some great new powerups and the Chaos Emerald stages are a fun new type of puzzle, but I'm surprised by how weak this one is overall.
The biggest change here is that the levels are huuuuuuge -- around two to three times bigger than usual. Unfortunately, I think this was kind of a serious mistake and it singlehandedly torpedoes the whole game. If they had had some more interesting new level ideas/gimmicks^ they might have carried it off, but as they are, most of the stages end up getting dull by the end. Sonic levels should not be pushing ten minutes long! Especially when they're just kind of ... there. Not that hard, but not that exciting either. Feels like going through the motions. For a LONG time.
^(a couple of the new level thingies are pretty cool, mostly the ones having to do with momentum and getting sprung upwards)
The graphics feel a bit uninspired -- there is no standout level, really, like Green Hill or Chemical Plant. And also, the new Michael Jackson-style music isn't very good. It mostly amounts to a lot of crappy voice samples and repetitive hooks that don't feel particularly 'Sonic'. Whether it was actually written by him or not, it's kind of a weird fit and I miss the older stuff.
There are some great new powerups and the Chaos Emerald stages are a fun new type of puzzle, but I'm surprised by how weak this one is overall.