Game Debate #191: Sonic CD

[Brickman | 3,994]

1 hour ago, koifish said:

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.

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.

 

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).

Haven't played CTR yet, I do hear it's very good though, but I can't imagine it being better than DKR.

[koifish | 556]

On 2/16/2024 at 3:33 PM, Brickman said:

Haven't played CTR yet, I do hear it's very good though, but I can't imagine it being better than DKR.

If I were to compare it to anything, I'd say is Super Mario Kart is like Smash Bros 64, then CTR is like Melee and MK64 is like Brawl. Not sure how to classify DKR in that mix. I'd say DKR feels tighter but CTR is more intense and demanding. 100% clear is demanding yet fun.

[NostalgicMachine | 238]

This one is right behind Sonic 3 and S&K for me. Exceptional visuals and music. Yes, it's not perfect, but it's an 8/10 for me.

[AstralSoul | 502]

On 2/15/2024 at 4:37 AM, 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.

Maybe now that's the general consensus but in the 90s and early 00s that's all I heard is how great it was.

[Reed Rothchild | 9,547]

16 minutes ago, AstralSoul said:

Maybe now that's the general consensus but in the 90s and early 00s that's all I heard is how great it was.

Same

[NostalgicMachine | 238]

15 hours ago, Reed Rothchild said:

Same

This right here. A lot of the reputable gaming mags pushed how solid of a title it was. I think it actually scored highest of all the Sonic titles at the time back in like 2001 for EGM top 100 games of all time, etc.

[RH | 4,916]

I'm guessing it's because of the packaging.  It was a similar, 2D Sonic experience, but this time with cut scenes and CD audio.

I too remember hearing how this was the GOAT for Sonic games, but I always felt like it was with an air of "this is a top-shelf title on a top shelf system for the more refined gamer", which was par for the course for the Sega CD in general.  But I dunno.  Maybe that was just my perception about the Sega CD but the way Sonic CD was treated, it was as if it piggy-backed off of that mentality.

[cj_robot | 543]

I think a big part of it was the mystique around it, being a hyped-up game for a console that not many people had access to (at the time, anyway). Everyone heard about it, but too few of us could actually try it for ourselves. That helped to build up a sort of legendary status that it didn't necessarily earn. I remember similar vibes around stuff like Knuckles for 32X and Alien vs Predator for the Jaguar. Sonic CD actually ended up being a whole lot better than those other two, though.

[NostalgicMachine | 238]

On 2/22/2024 at 1:57 PM, cj_robot said:

I think a big part of it was the mystique around it, being a hyped-up game for a console that not many people had access to (at the time, anyway). Everyone heard about it, but too few of us could actually try it for ourselves. That helped to build up a sort of legendary status that it didn't necessarily earn. I remember similar vibes around stuff like Knuckles for 32X and Alien vs Predator for the Jaguar. Sonic CD actually ended up being a whole lot better than those other two, though.

I agree with this assertion. I only knew ONE KID that had a Sega CD, and he only had Mortal Kombat. The magazines made Sonic CD look amazing. It's wild in hindsight seeing how badly Sega was trying to bridge the gap between 16 and 32 bit, instead of just letting The Saturn develop (I got mine Christmas '96!). The 32X is the epitome of an industry faux pas for me/is like putting a hat on a hat, etc.