Sonic Marathon: Sonic CD
Name: Sonic The Hedgehog CD / Sonic CD
Console: PC (Sega CD Port / Not Emulated)
I think it's fair assumption to say that the 2D Sonic series is at a solid 1/1 at the moment. I'd say that's an alright start. Nothing groundbreaking yet but I do think the second game is great. I can't lie though something odd stuck from that game. It's weird endgame bosses.
The difficulty was pretty challenging for the finale of Wing Fortress Zone with it's bizarre wall of death boss.
All of a sudden the difficulty dropped substantially with a change metallic version of the Blue Blur... kind a crap if you ask me...
So what's the next natural step? Make that stupid boss the antagonist of the next game of course!
Before we jump into this let's talk about that title.
As you probably realised this was released on the Sega CD as apposed to the Sega MegaDrive so the natural thing to do was to name the game after the console it was released on. Hell, Super Mario 64 did this later and no body questioned it.
What does this mean for the game itself. Think of this as Xbox One X or the PS4 Pro of the series. SOOOOO SHINY!
It essentially just means more colours, frames and other bits and bobs to make things look a tad bit more animated... BUT OMFG DOES IT WORK! I honestly think that Sonic has never looked or sounded better.
Of course looks and sounds aren't everything so how does it play?
Pretty darn good that's how! Speed in this game is key and the level designs are... well we'll get to that soon. Until then let's talk about the controls. They're the same as Sonic 2 but there is a certain flair to them this time around. Plus the spin dash hasn't felt better! Finally the camera pans left as Sonic speeds up in order to keep up with him meaning that I can finally see where the hell I'm running to at maximum speed. Jumping hasn't felt as smooth or as precise and that goes for Sonic's general movement. Yeah sure he's still as slidey as ever but a simple tap of a button he'll come to a screeching halt no problem.
For the first time Tails is fully playable as well and for a beginner to the franchise this is probably the way to go. He can fly, albeit not forever, and pick up some awesome power ups. Of course if you want that supped up speed Sonic is the way to go.
Now we let's get onto Sonic's biggest flaw with he's previous entries: Level Design... Stage by Stage? Okaydokay then:
Palmtree Panic Zone
Green Hill Zone 3.0... You know the whole call back to that thing we just did is starting to get slightly annoying. The only thing that is keeping me playing this level is the new mechanics and I'm not on about gameplay I'm referring to level mechanics. So for the first time a Sonic game actually has a proper story, although it's not as in depth as the later entries. One of the major elements of this vague basic story is TIME TRAVEL!!!! Scattered throughout the stages are signs that state either Past or Future. Speed past these and keep up that momentum and you've bought yourself a ticket TO THE FUTURE... or the past... or the present... one of the three. Activating a switch in the past may change something in the present which may lead to breaking a wall revealing a power up in the future. Of course you can complete the stages in either one of these time zones although it's a really cool addition.
Anyway speed to the end and fight HOLY SHIT THE DEATH EGG!!! Oh wait it's a small boxing robot that just looks like the Death Egg. Welp time to bop it. Oh wait it can block? Timing is involved? Are you sure I'm playing a Sonic game?
So yeah the first boss is actually a challenge. For a change... wow.
Three boops later and then Robotnik does what he does best. Runs to the next stage where we follow after. I should probably point out before we continue I should point out that the 3 Act structure is back which is fine. It's thanks to good level design that the speed and pace of these stages feels great. So enough said let's move on!
Collision Chaos Zone
What's with the weird fascination with pinball? I am honestly curious because that's a good 80% of this stage.
Unfortunately that leaves the majority of this stage to fate as it's primarily automated.
As for Robotnik: Just whack him a few times. I didn't even know he was there when I defeated him so that's fun. NEXT!!!
Tidal Tempest Zone
WATER!!!! AGGGHHHH Oh that was quick. Wow Sonic Team your phobia of the water ever increases. Seriously why was this apart of this game. It ties in with the boss at the end due to bubbles and what not but you didn't need to include water in this stage.
Quartz Quadrant Zone
Yup okay zoom zoom. Not much to this one. In fact I think it's the most forgettable stage in this game... the boss is cool though.
The main idea here is that Robotnik is on a treadmill and begins to drop bombs on us. We simply need to run the treadmill to death. Chase the fat guy to the right and continue to the next stage.
Wacky Workbench Zone
Spiny spin spin! Okay so if you have motion sickness I'd stop playing now. This entire level was made to make you hate bounce pads. The floor, yeah all of it, one big bounce pad. Tap and zoom. The issue? You need to be as low as possible to complete it... *sigh* it was slightly annoying and I'll say this is my least favourite stage of the game but it's short.
The boss here is essentially an exercise in patience. Jump on the levitating platforms towards Robotnik and do what Sonic does best: jump into things. It's a slow process but not hard.
Stardust Speedway Zone
It's not kidding when it says Speedway. These are the quickest stages in any Sonic game ever and it all accumulates with a race against Metal Sonic. Some what tense but I found it a bit anticlimactic. The advertised big bad of this game was defeated in less than a minute. Not because I destroyed him but because I outran him. The logic sounds awesome but it made Metal Sonic just feel like a piece of background art rather than an adversary. In fact Robotnik's lazer wall was more annoying that Metal Sonic... TIME TO END THIS!
Metallic Madness Zone
Right then. The finale. Oh I'm already at Act 3... welp time to fight Robotniiiiii... killer lightbulbs are a boss...
There hit boxes are annoying as all hell but once they're done you can fight the big guy himself. The strategy seems to be wait until he forms an opening however it takes so long to do so you might as well jump at him, take the hit, collect your rings and whilst your in your invincible frames phase thing hit him. Rinse and repeat 4 times and you've beaten the game.
I think it's safe to reveal that this is my favourite Classic Sonic game. Regardless I think that this game is way too short. I've read that people normally complete this in 2 hours and I don't know how. I normally beat it in just over an hour and I'm a Sonic amateur. The 3 Act structure was barely noticeable as each stage went by in a blink of an eye. That doesn't mean they weren't awesome. The sense of speed in this game just from basic movement alone is down right amazing. Jumps feel more precise as well making some platforming that I would've hated in previous games feel like a dream here.
The bosses have a sense of originality to them with each one being fairly distinct for a change.
The major let down here, of course, is Metal Sonic himself. Why was he advertised so much. He barely appeared in Sonic 2 and his appearance is once again that of a cameo... Seriously he's no threat whatsoever.
With all of that being said:
SCORE: 9 out of 10 / An amazing game overall
Time to finish the original trilogy with Sonic 3!