Thursday, January 19, 2012

Retroview - Sonic the Hedgehog CD

Official Site: http://www.sega.com/games/sonic-cd-2011/
Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/200940/

Source: Youtube Channel rogueyoshi

Sonic CD was re-released today on Steam as well as other major systems (PC, PS3-PSN, Xbox 360-XBLA, iPod touch, iPhone, mobile android, iPad).  When I saw it on the steam page, I was thinking "hey, I remember that game!  I feel like playing it again."  Well I can't find it and it's somewhere in my room, haha.  Sonic CD was a unique game compared to the other Sonic games being developed.

"Following the release of Sonic the Hedgehog, Lead Programmer Yuji Naka had grown dissatisfied with the rigid corporate policies at Sega and moved to the United States to work with the Sega Technical Institute, along with several members of Sonic Team, to develop Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Meanwhile in Japan, a separate development team headed by Sonic creator Naoto Ohshima handled development on Sonic CD. This game and Sonic 2 were initially intended to be one and the same, but during development, Sonic CD evolved into a vastly different type of game." -Wikipedia

Sonic CD is seemingly longer and more difficult than the first Sonic that was released.  It was initially released for Sega Mega CD in 1993, and later on Windows 9x's series in 1996.  Since a CD was able to hold more data, the animations, graphics, and music was more advanced.  It was the first Sonic game to include animated cinematics.  Most people probably haven't heard of Sonic CD as the most popular Sonic games came from the Sega Genesis.  Sonic CD is like the "Rondo of Blood" of its series, albeit the fact that it was actually released in the Western market when "Rondo of Blood" wasn't brought over until much later.  It was released on a console that didn't take off and was thus neglected by the mass market as well.  This re-release doesn't seem to have anything new other than the fact that you can play as Tails as well now.  They might have taken out some of the those glitches you can see from the Tool-Assisted Speedrun (TAS) video above.  Sonic CD still had that fluid platforming mechanic that made Sonic feel really fast and exciting.  Sonic the Hedgehog 4 - Episode 1 was also released on Steam today with a reduced price from its console counter-parts.  Sonic 4 seems to have lost that ability to convey fast and fluid gameplay with its clunky controls and floppy running animation.  As many Sonic fans or even general gamers might know, the Sonic series has had a very difficult time keeping up in the market and satisfying its fan base ever since it left the console wars (and to some, ever since it left the Sega Genesis).  I suppose Sega's decision to bring back the classics, both "figuratively" (same mechanics as its retro counter-parts in Sonic 4 and Sonic Generations) and "literally" (Sonic CD, Sonic 1-3, Sonic 3D Blast, etc.), is a way to remind their fans why they loved Sonic in the first place (and to make money for course).  I loved Sonic and I still do.  Something about its colorful environments, fast-paced action gameplay, and unique characters has me consistently interested in the series, despite not having played a lot of the 3D ones (ever since the Genesis days, I've played a little bit of Adventure, Heroes, and then played mostly the handheld ones such as Sonic Battle and Sonic Rush).  Since I can't find Sonic CD, I'm thinking of getting it off Steam as it's selling initially for $4.99.  During a sale, it might go down to $2.49.  Also, Steam players who also play Spiral Knights (a free-to-play Action Online RPG published by Sega) will also get a Sonic and Tails Chassis to wear in the game.  If you have never played a Sonic game before, go onto Steam, Playstation Network, or Xbox Live Arcade and grab a copy of Sonic the Hedgehog 1, 2 or 3.  You'll be able to experience a videogame in its purest form of entertainment: Simple to learn, challenging levels, catchy music, bright and vivid graphics, and being able to have fun!

Seriously though, even with all the poorly received games in the past 1.5 decade, I want to eventually one day buy every Sonic game I haven't played yet and go through them.  I just can't bring myself to pay money on the ones that are considered "bad" since they're still $20-$40.  I'll make Sonic Generations an exception since that looks really fun.

No comments:

Post a Comment