Game Debate #191: Sonic CD

[Reed Rothchild | 9,548]

[AstralSoul | 502]

I think, most overrated 2D Sonic game. I remember reading for years how so many people think this is the absolute best game in the series. I never owned a Sega CD so I didn't get to play it til many many years later, only within the last 10 years. And I was excited to play it... only to be really let down. I honestly don't enjoy it. The time warp mechanic is a cool idea but doesn't add anything except annoying complexity. Music is also a step down from sonic 1-3 and S&K. I don't hate it I just think it's unmemorable especially compared to other 2D Sonics. 5/10

[TDIRunner | 2,744]

I think the game is just ok.  I never played it as a kid since I never knew anyone who owned a Sega CD.  Playing it now just makes me want to play Sonic 2 which is still my favorite Sonic game of all time.  It's not a bad game by any means, but it just doesn't hold my attention the way the original Sonic games did.  

[Reed Rothchild | 9,548]

19 minutes ago, TDIRunner said:

I think the game is just ok.

So, isn't that a 5/10 and not a 6/10?

Teasing, but I'm having flashbacks to the debate thread about the debate threads 

[TDIRunner | 2,744]

15 minutes ago, Reed Rothchild said:

So, isn't that a 5/10 and not a 6/10?

Teasing, but I'm having flashbacks to the debate thread about the debate threads 

Truthfully, I wrote my comment first, then while reading through the choices, I felt that 6 was a better match to how I felt about it, but didn't feel the desire to reword my post.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Edited February 14 by TDIRunner

[Brickman | 3,994]

Never played it but I just wanted to vote so I can vote for DKR. That debate is going to be intense!

DKR is hands down better than MK64 and us DKR fans aren't afraid to let those MK64 losers know about it 

[ZeldaFreak | 3,600]

Regardless of your thoughts on the actual game, there's no denying the soundtrack is on another level

[Webhead123 | 679]

It has seriously been decades since I last played it but...as the only kid I knew that had a Sega CD, I absolutely had to rent this one and I recall renting it at least a couple of times. The intro and music were pretty spectacular and I thought the game itself was great fun, possibly my favorite of the Sonic games, although I admit that I didn't own or play much of Sonic 3 or Sonic & Knuckles at the time.

My foggy nostalgia goggles say 8/10 but I'm not sure how well that would hold up if played today. Honestly...I kinda miss my Sega CD.

Edited February 15 by Webhead123

[Gloves | 11,794]

Never played it, don't like Sonic so never will. 

[DefaultGen | 5,413]

I love Sonic CD and its stupid level design. I liked it even more before I played S3&K and Sonic Mania! But still one of the few Sonic games I actually think is great. It's also probably the least enjoyable Sonic game to play through just once? It's less of a spin dash to the right and jump sometimes game than most Sonics. 8/10.

[Sumez | 2,967]

14 hours ago, AstralSoul said:

I think, most overrated 2D Sonic game. I remember reading for years how so many people think this is the absolute best game in the series.

I've never met anyone claiming Sonic CD is better than any other Sonic game of the period. It's by far the least liked of the classic ones.

Edited February 15 by Sumez

[Sumez | 2,967]

10 hours ago, ZeldaFreak said:

Regardless of your thoughts on the actual game, there's no denying the soundtrack is on another level

The Generations remix is an absolute banger!

 

[ZeldaFreak | 3,600]

3 minutes ago, Sumez said:

I've never met anyone claiming Sonic CD is better than any other Sonic game of the period. It's by far the least liked of the classic ones.

I mean I dunno Sonic 1 isn't all that great to be honest

[ZeldaFreak | 3,600]

3 minutes ago, Sumez said:

The Generations remix is an absolute banger!

Absolutely. And don't even get me started on the Sonic Mania tracks

Tee Lopes man, I'll never stop singing his praises. Genius composer.

[GPX | 1,370]

35 minutes ago, Sumez said:

I've never met anyone claiming Sonic CD is better than any other Sonic game of the period. It's by far the least liked of the classic ones.

I recall the magazines at the time were raving about Sonic CD and its superior graphics and sounds. Something about the gimmick of past and future versions of stages which gives it more depth and a need for exploration more than prior Sonics. 

I’ve only played a stage or two with this game and can’t give it a proper review score. I can see though how this game can divide the fans, as this one favours more the experimenting and explorative nature of a 2D Sonic formula.

[GPX | 1,370]

31 minutes ago, ZeldaFreak said:

Absolutely. And don't even get me started on the Sonic Mania tracks

Tee Lopes man, I'll never stop singing his praises. Genius composer.

Makes me wanna try that game now. Some big semblance of Streets of Rage music with that 90s techno feel.

[ZeldaFreak | 3,600]

22 minutes ago, GPX said:

Makes me wanna try that game now. Some big semblance of Streets of Rage music with that 90s techno feel.

You should absolutely play it if you're even remotely a fan of the 2D Sonic games. I'd say it's almost objectively the best Sonic game, I'd be hard-pressed to come up with any serious critiques of it.

[ZeldaFreak | 3,600]

28 minutes ago, GPX said:

Makes me wanna try that game now. Some big semblance of Streets of Rage music with that 90s techno feel.

Also yeah, like I said, Tee Lopes is a genius. He's been doing amazing Sonic remixes since long before his work on Mania

Anyway, sorry to derail the thread for a bit there, haha.

[Sumez | 2,967]

1 hour ago, ZeldaFreak said:

I mean I dunno Sonic 1 isn't all that great to be honest

Sonic 1 is still pretty fun. It's more interesting than Sonic CD at least.

[ZeldaFreak | 3,600]

9 minutes ago, Sumez said:

Sonic 1 is still pretty fun. It's more interesting than Sonic CD at least.

The first half isn't bad, the second half... eeeeh. You really notice the lack of a spin dash.

Also we'll just have to agree to disagree on it being more interesting than CD, CD is one of the most interesting games in the series I think just due to how different it is from the other classic Sonic games.

[final fight cd | 187]

Sonic CD reminds me of sweaty balls in that they both stink.  

[twiztor | 851]

played this one for the first time last year (2 years ago? i don't remember exactly). I had just played through 1-3&K, so the storyline and mechanics were fresh in my mind. I thought the time travel gimmick was a really cool idea and was interested in the extra exploration it opened up. But in practice, it didn't really seem to make much of a difference. I started out making a point to achieve the "good future" for every stage, but abandoned that about halfway through when i lost interest. Once i stopped, the game lost all interest and felt very easy and straightforward. 

overall, i liked the game, but the time gimmick didn't live up to its potential, so it just ended up feeling unnecessary. 3&K felt bigger and better. 2 is IMO the perfect balance for the series. 1 is fine. 

i scored this a 6.

[Kguillemette | 1,545]

Been about 20 years since my last playthough. I remember it being okay at best. The core of Sonic games has never been the control, in fact being out of control is part of the fun! The music and level design of the 16 bit era sonics match up with the core gameplay to make very fun little platformers and visual spectacles. The issue with CD is that the level design just isn't on that same level as 2 or 3&K. I have it on a few different platforms, it might be worth a revisit.

[Link | 2,714]

22 hours ago, Gloves said:

Never played it, don't like Sonic so never will. 

emptyquote

[koifish | 556]

Top level sonic for me. Exploration is something I've long wanted to see in sonic games, largely because CD did it. Late stages get annoying for perfect clears but that's because it demands some memorization of optimal paths, which is not rare for sonic but stands out since you HAVE to do it to get the best ending, and you don't really get any do-overs due to low numbers of PAST gates. This keeps it very much a sega arcade style game, forcing practice and performance, and not everybody is looking for that especially in a sonic game. That said, it brings something no other Sonic brings, and it makes it very interesting. Also, it has a top 10 best game soundtrack of all time, ignoring the trashtacular US version of course (though Sonic Boom is less weird than Toot Toot Sonic Warrior). I give 8/10. BRB gonna jam out to Collision Chaos Good Future.

On 2/15/2024 at 2:46 AM, ZeldaFreak said:

You should absolutely play it if you're even remotely a fan of the 2D Sonic games. I'd say it's almost objectively the best Sonic game, I'd be hard-pressed to come up with any serious critiques of it.

If I were to offer a critique, it's that the level design is a bit weird if you are expecting a linear game. I tend to think people are playing it wrong when they say so however, because it's an exploration game first, and that confuses people given it's the only sonic game like it. Zelda 2 effect more or less.

Oh, and some stages are just annoying to get to the past. That's part of the point though; You have to try to get the best ending, and that includes repetitive practicing, though nobody who likes MD Sonic should really be bothered by that given its part of the series (Sonic 1 has various "one chance only" jumps, and memorizing special stages is practically required for later emeralds in 2). It's something that comes up often enough in CD to be potentially irritating.

 

On 2/14/2024 at 2:27 PM, Brickman said:

Never played it but I just wanted to vote so I can vote for DKR. That debate is going to be intense!

DKR is hands down better than MK64 and us DKR fans aren't afraid to let those MK64 losers know about it 

Moot point when CTR blows everyone out of the water. DKR is the best runner-up I've played, though Mickey Speedway is an unknown still (I know its rareware but I've never played it).