Pros: The first ever Sonic game on a Nintendo console, and that right there, was a huge ass deal, and the game itself is decent enough too. It's a callback to the classic Genesis era of Sonic games, and you get the good and the bad with that. The visuals are nice, I'll start there, using the modern art style borrowed from the Adventure games, and there's also really well done 2D sprite-work too, where the characters are expressive with plenty of smooth animation. Which, speaking of, you can choose from up to four different characters to play as. Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy. Most of their abilities from the Genesis games are back, with some new ones, like ground attacks where Sonic can slide kick, Tails can tail whip, and Knuckles can do a series of punches. And then there's Amy Rose, whom I believe this game is her first playable 2D platformer role, and she can't spin-dash, only use her hammer in a variety of ways, and it's creative, a change of pace anyway, though not the most fun with the way these levels are designed...
Cons: These levels kinda suck. They're big and sprawling, overstay their welcome, and are still filled with plenty of those oldschool traps, traps that especially get you on your first time through, or if you're just a beginner. Not great design, in my opinion. The visuals, while fine, aren't as iconic here as their Genesis forebearers, and the music not quite up to par either. Everything here does manage to demonstrate what Sonic is all about to a new audience on Nintendo consoles though, heh...
What it means to me: This game was unsurprisingly the first Sonic game I ever owned, considering I was a Nintendo only kid. I recall some stages including bullshit design that would frustrate me to no end (One particular stage required you to have the knowledge that jumping from the side of the wall would send you in the opposite direction to land on a platform otherwise inaccessible... Thanks, like I would've understood that mechanic as a child...). Honestly, what I enjoyed most out of this game was Chao Garden!! Yeah, that fun virtual pet type game from Sonic Adventure was included here too, and could even link up with Sonic Adventure 2 Battle on Gamecube! I always loved those little dudes, and how if you find the tiny rescued animals in the campaign, you could use them to modify your Chao (those animals in the campaign are just as cute in this one too, I recall the tiny elephant being adorable), and so yeah, some good stuff here, nothing great though, and the main game being full of bullshit really was a damper, which, when clumped altogether equals a middling package.
Cons: These levels kinda suck. They're big and sprawling, overstay their welcome, and are still filled with plenty of those oldschool traps, traps that especially get you on your first time through, or if you're just a beginner. Not great design, in my opinion. The visuals, while fine, aren't as iconic here as their Genesis forebearers, and the music not quite up to par either. Everything here does manage to demonstrate what Sonic is all about to a new audience on Nintendo consoles though, heh...
What it means to me: This game was unsurprisingly the first Sonic game I ever owned, considering I was a Nintendo only kid. I recall some stages including bullshit design that would frustrate me to no end (One particular stage required you to have the knowledge that jumping from the side of the wall would send you in the opposite direction to land on a platform otherwise inaccessible... Thanks, like I would've understood that mechanic as a child...). Honestly, what I enjoyed most out of this game was Chao Garden!! Yeah, that fun virtual pet type game from Sonic Adventure was included here too, and could even link up with Sonic Adventure 2 Battle on Gamecube! I always loved those little dudes, and how if you find the tiny rescued animals in the campaign, you could use them to modify your Chao (those animals in the campaign are just as cute in this one too, I recall the tiny elephant being adorable), and so yeah, some good stuff here, nothing great though, and the main game being full of bullshit really was a damper, which, when clumped altogether equals a middling package.