The peak of Sonic the Hedgehog.
For the first time in the franchise's history, the stars aligned for Sonic Team, and they made this banger of a game. To this day, the style, presentation, and storytelling haven't been matched by future entries in the series. While this isn't my personal favorite entry in the franchise, it does deserve its spot as one of the best. Yes, it's clunky. Yes, the voice acting is laughable. Yes, the emerald radar fucking sucks. But all of that doesn't matter because everything about this game is cool as fuck. When you boot up the game for the first time and hear the slight taste of Live & Learn in the opening cinematic, you can tell this game is special.
Sonic Team really went all out with this game: unique vocal themes for all of the characters, unique set pieces, a grand spectacle story with some of the most iconic moments in the franchise, and one of the greatest finales in gaming ever. I really do believe Iizuka when he says he had the most fun working on this game.
There is an energy in this game that is sorely lacking in future titles. Frontiers attempts to bring this energy back, but I feel like they still have a long way to go to put the franchise back on course. What I mean by this is that SA2 feels like a purely cinematic game through and through. It's story and characters are played out with the upmost sincerity and full of heart, which makes the stories in this series special. The direction of this game stands out, and one aspect I really loved about this game were the movies that promoted the other stories in the game once you completed specific ones. The ones that play after first completing either the hero or dark story know how to pump you up for the other. My absolute favorite of them is the movie The Last Story. It perfectly sets the mood for the tone of the finale and gets you excited for the end. The direction in this game really does set it apart from the rest.
I think back to when Live & Learn was being played live on stream for the Sonic Symphony. Hearing everyone in the crowd erupt to sing along was the best thing ever. There's a reason why people love this song, and there's a reason why people love this game.
It's a flawed game just as much as the others, but I can't seem to dislike it all too much. It truly is one of a kind.
For the first time in the franchise's history, the stars aligned for Sonic Team, and they made this banger of a game. To this day, the style, presentation, and storytelling haven't been matched by future entries in the series. While this isn't my personal favorite entry in the franchise, it does deserve its spot as one of the best. Yes, it's clunky. Yes, the voice acting is laughable. Yes, the emerald radar fucking sucks. But all of that doesn't matter because everything about this game is cool as fuck. When you boot up the game for the first time and hear the slight taste of Live & Learn in the opening cinematic, you can tell this game is special.
Sonic Team really went all out with this game: unique vocal themes for all of the characters, unique set pieces, a grand spectacle story with some of the most iconic moments in the franchise, and one of the greatest finales in gaming ever. I really do believe Iizuka when he says he had the most fun working on this game.
There is an energy in this game that is sorely lacking in future titles. Frontiers attempts to bring this energy back, but I feel like they still have a long way to go to put the franchise back on course. What I mean by this is that SA2 feels like a purely cinematic game through and through. It's story and characters are played out with the upmost sincerity and full of heart, which makes the stories in this series special. The direction of this game stands out, and one aspect I really loved about this game were the movies that promoted the other stories in the game once you completed specific ones. The ones that play after first completing either the hero or dark story know how to pump you up for the other. My absolute favorite of them is the movie The Last Story. It perfectly sets the mood for the tone of the finale and gets you excited for the end. The direction in this game really does set it apart from the rest.
I think back to when Live & Learn was being played live on stream for the Sonic Symphony. Hearing everyone in the crowd erupt to sing along was the best thing ever. There's a reason why people love this song, and there's a reason why people love this game.
It's a flawed game just as much as the others, but I can't seem to dislike it all too much. It truly is one of a kind.