Sonic 2 is a near perfect Sonic game in my book. The pacing up until Metropolis feels great. The zones never slow you down too much until that point, and you get a massive amount of variety in level design.

The last bit of the game can be a bit tricky if you haven't played the game over 100 times like I have. But I still wholeheartedly recommend Sonic 2 for anyone looking for a fun and fast platformer.