-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
What's the best non-Genesis Sonic game?
- Thread starter Phediuk
- Start date
UnemployedVillain
Member
Professor Beef
Banned
Generations, Colors, Unleashed, Riders 1, and Racing Transformed are probably my non-Genesis highlights. Out of those I'd give the nod to Generations.
I'm split about 50/50 between advance 1 and Sonic Unleashed.
I think sonic unleashed beats it out by a small margin. The werehog stages were a really cool God Of War Lite and the Daytime stuff was at its best here before the kind of "cleaned it up" for lack of a better term. It feels more out of control but not really enough that feels satisfying in a weird way to me. Everything after felt like a sterile version of it.
Still looking forward to both mania and forces though. It's gonna be a good year for sonic fans.
I think sonic unleashed beats it out by a small margin. The werehog stages were a really cool God Of War Lite and the Daytime stuff was at its best here before the kind of "cleaned it up" for lack of a better term. It feels more out of control but not really enough that feels satisfying in a weird way to me. Everything after felt like a sterile version of it.
Still looking forward to both mania and forces though. It's gonna be a good year for sonic fans.
If I were to pick from Mega Drive/Genesis then it'd be S3K. Otherwise I'd put the rest in these categories:
Good:
Generations
Adventure
Adventure 2
Rush and Rush Adventure
Advance 1-3
Colours
Mediocre to Decent:
Unleashed (Werehog, World Hub, Flight missions, poor pacing and level design ruined it for me)
Heroes
Secret Rings
Shadow
Bad:
Sonic '06
In reality there really hasn't been a top quality Sonic game since the Genesis/Mega Drive/CD era. Mania looks to be that game to change it.
Good:
Generations
Adventure
Adventure 2
Rush and Rush Adventure
Advance 1-3
Colours
Mediocre to Decent:
Unleashed (Werehog, World Hub, Flight missions, poor pacing and level design ruined it for me)
Heroes
Secret Rings
Shadow
Bad:
Sonic '06
In reality there really hasn't been a top quality Sonic game since the Genesis/Mega Drive/CD era. Mania looks to be that game to change it.
LumpOfCole
Member
The level design in Generations (well, some of Generations) is the best level design in the franchise. About half the stages are essentially split into three tiers of difficulty and is optimal for speedrunning.
If you're extremely good, you never stop and you can shortcut your way to an amazing run. If you're merely decent, you won't hit all the shortcuts until you won't fall into too many platforming traps. If you make errors, you lose all momentum and will need to platform your way to keep moving forward. The best stages have a shortcut path, standard path, and platforming (failure) path. When stages in Generations get it right, it's the best damned Sonic experience I could possibly want.
I would argue that Generations is the best Sonic game ever made because of the stages that get it right, and quite a few of its stages don't even follow that incredible three tier design for some ungodly reason.
I'll also argue that Sonic CD is the 2D Sonic game that has aged the worst (not counting Game Gear entries).
I feel sonic unleashed, colors, and generations was the best sonic had ever played in 3D. I prefer generations over the other two because I think they refined the gameplay well enough here to be the best playing, shame there wasn't any original stages in it though.
I'm actually surprised by the lack of sonic adventure games posts here. I thought there was more people that liked them than the newer 3D games. I remember as a teenager sonic adventure 2 being the best sonic game ever to a lot of people, guess times have changed.
I'm actually surprised by the lack of sonic adventure games posts here. I thought there was more people that liked them than the newer 3D games. I remember as a teenager sonic adventure 2 being the best sonic game ever to a lot of people, guess times have changed.
StrategyFan
Member
racing transformed
I'm not a fan of CD, but I don't think the Simon Says gameplay of Generations is anything to write home about. Repeated playthroughs of levels become all too familiar and all too easy, which isn't great considering how easy the game is anyway. It's the best effort using the Unleashed formula, and it's good, but I wasn't particularly impressed. The fact that the platforming path is considered the failure path is kind of telling. You have to fail at an easy game to make it less automated and more engaging, but that's where control issues and death pits arise.
The older games have a much higher skill cap.
Morrigan Stark
Arrogant Smirk
Freedom Planet >_>
IronicSonic
Member
We know almost nothing about Sonic Forces. It's hard to tell if the game will be any good. Modern Sonic gameplay is there and Classic Sonic seems similar to Generations.
Maybe the most dissapointing thing about Forces so far is it's actually Sonic Generations 2 (even thoug, Iizuka said it wasn´t)
See while I see where everyone is going with this viewpoint - but wasn't everyone clamouring for this following Lost World's reception?
I'm of the group who is definitely interested in seeing more of how this game will turn out. Can't see it being a bad game.
In total we have only seen some short beginner style levels and one boss. Mania will be great, but don't think it's fair to see this getting shut down by so many already. Two good games this year is a great step forward 😉
metsallica
Member
Sonic Rush is the only good Sonic game, so... That.
CanUKlehead
Member
Sonic and All Stars Racing Transformed if that counts.
PS, I kind of think Sonic CD is overrated. Bought a bunch of Sonic games on PSN/XBL a few years back and played through them, didn't think CD was that special compared to 2 or even 3.
PS, I kind of think Sonic CD is overrated. Bought a bunch of Sonic games on PSN/XBL a few years back and played through them, didn't think CD was that special compared to 2 or even 3.
sixteen-bit
Member
Sonic Jam
Gai Murakumo
Member
Either Colors or Generations. I would really say CD but it is just a Genesis game in disguise.
BasilZero
Member
HoodWinked
Member
its funny that the best sonic games have been made by NOT sonic team.
Sumo Digital made Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed
Sonic Advance made by Dimps
Sonic Mania made by indies
though SA1 and SA2 were enjoyable at the time have aged pretty poorly. generation is also serviceable.
Sumo Digital made Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed
Sonic Advance made by Dimps
Sonic Mania made by indies
though SA1 and SA2 were enjoyable at the time have aged pretty poorly. generation is also serviceable.
Khaos Kontrol
Banned
Generations, for sure. Captures what a modern Sonic game should be. It's arguably better than any of the Genesis games, too.
I really enjoyed Sonic pocket adventure for the neo geo pocket.
I wish it had been more than rehashes of old Sonic levels though.
Weltall Zero
Member
Generations for sure. Frankly it's not even a contest. With nostalgia goggles off, you can even see it's better than the Genesis games, and that's even though Sonic 2 was one of my favorite games ever.
NESpowerhouse
Perhaps he's wondering why someone would shoot a man before throwing him out of a plane.
Sonic Adventure 2 is one of my favorite games of all time, so I'll probably go with that. I fucking dare you to find me a Sonic game as feature-rich as that one. I have logged over 1000 hours in that game as a result. Shit, there was a period of time where I was just booting up the game to do the Chao garden stuff.
There are a number of good ones outside of the Genesis Era games.
- Sonic Unleashed (HD Versions): Great level design for Day Stages, Surprisingly fun Night Levels, a decent story and high production values
- Sonic Rush & Advance Series: Fun quality 2D platformers that offer a lot of great Sonic action. Advance 3 and Rush Adventure have flaws but all five games are great fun!
- Sonic Riders and Riders Zero Gravity: Surprisingly good racing games that have great music, solid controls and in the case of the original Riders, a nice learning curve
- Generations and Colors: Fantastic Sonic platformers that bring the series to 3D with little additional baggage or bloat.
- Sonic Racing Transformed & All Stars Racing: Great Arcade Racers that have wonderful track design and lots of SEGA fan service.
- Sonic Battle: Decent brawler that is a lot of fun. The story is shockingly one of the best out of the Dreamcast-Era Sonic's to boot too.
Unknown?
Member
I'd say Sonic Adventure 1 based on impact because it was the most groundbreaking and ahead of its time. It offered more variety then platformers did back then and did 3D Sonic very well. Plus it was graphically better than any game in 1998, even on PC. It did have camera issues and glitches but most games did back then.
I personally prefer SA2 because of the refinement but it did go a bit backwards in some cases. I didn't like that you couldn't stick to one character in the story and Knuckles levels were better in the first.
I personally prefer SA2 because of the refinement but it did go a bit backwards in some cases. I didn't like that you couldn't stick to one character in the story and Knuckles levels were better in the first.
MrCunningham
Member
Sonic CD
Sonic Generations was bad...
Sonic Generations was bad...
nailbombxx
Member
Sonic Adventure 2 Battle
I've literally not played it in 15 years but I was incredibly obsessed with it
I've literally not played it in 15 years but I was incredibly obsessed with it
Sonic Adventure 1 needs more love. It is much better than SA2. SA2 forces you to play as Sonic and Shadow's friends, whereas with SA1 it's optional. If you just want to complete the game as Sonic, you totally can, you just won't get the final boss fight. All six characters all play differently where the sequel just took the three most popular and cloned them. I also really missed the hubworlds in the second game.
Adventure 1 is my pick.
Adventure 1 is my pick.
I'm with you OP, Sonic 1 on the Master System was my first ever videogame and I vastly prefer it to the Mega Drive version. I still own my Master System with it built in and I go back and play it to completion once a year or so too. I can finish it in less than hour at this point, hah.
SoundPulse
Banned
Sonic Advance 2 is really good but I never hear anyone really talk about the Advance series at all. Then again, I stay out of the Sonic fan circles, so...
That's like saying "With nostalgia goggles off, you can even see NSMB is better than Mario World or Mario 3." Or, "With nostalgia goggles off, you can even see Sonic 4 is better than Sonic 3 & Knuckles." Or, "With nostalgia goggles off, you can even see DmC is better than DMC1, 3, or 4."
How do you even argue that? It's basically gaslighting. I've played both Generations and Sonic 2 recently and completely disagree. I'm all for people voicing preference, but this nostalgia goggles rhetoric isn't constructive and borders on shitposting. The rhetoric attempts to assert truth and objectivity over blind passion and/or preference, and is more often a contentious conflation of the two.
The Hermit
Member
Colors actually resurrected Sonic for me
Generations killed it again thouh
EDIT: the GBA/DS games are great though.
Generations killed it again thouh
EDIT: the GBA/DS games are great though.
Lynd7
Member
Yep, the jump physics feel pretty close/good. Dunno why Dimps couldn't do the same for Sonic 4..
Sky Walker
Member
With all seriousness, might be Sonic Colors.
dr_p0p7ar7_
Member
Sonic Adventure 2 Battle
Rapscallion
Member
If we're not counting CD, it's gotta be Sonic Colors. I have a special place in my heart for SA2, but in 2017 too many parts of the game don't hold up.
It did nearly everything right, which is something the series hadn't done in a long time. Plus, the soundtrack is amazing.
It did nearly everything right, which is something the series hadn't done in a long time. Plus, the soundtrack is amazing.
Can't disagree more. Genesis Sonics are like Nintendo games, in the sense that the fundamental mechanics are so refined that simply moving around and controlling the character is fun by itself.
Generations has great content and high production values, and some good level design, but the core mechanics are as broken as every other 3D mainline Sonic game since Adventure.
Elfforkusu
Member
CD. That may not count, but the answer to the question as stated is CD.
After that... Triple Trouble on the Game Gear? Sonic Advance 1? The handheld 2D Sonics were ok, not great. Better than anything that's happened in the past 15 years though.
e: Adventure 1 on the DC is not a bad game. It's aged very poorly (the things it was good are are no longer impressive), and it's ports are adequate at best. But maybe that one, if haphazard, still-trying-to-figure-out-3D level design is your thing.
(and then you can cry over all the squandered potential in successive games)
After that... Triple Trouble on the Game Gear? Sonic Advance 1? The handheld 2D Sonics were ok, not great. Better than anything that's happened in the past 15 years though.
e: Adventure 1 on the DC is not a bad game. It's aged very poorly (the things it was good are are no longer impressive), and it's ports are adequate at best. But maybe that one, if haphazard, still-trying-to-figure-out-3D level design is your thing.
(and then you can cry over all the squandered potential in successive games)
supermarioworldE
Banned
Generations is fairly simple in the gameplay department, but compared to the many tacked on gameplay styles we've had over the years, it really does stand above most.
Voting for Unleashed. It had a story that wasn't too overly grimdark, a companion that wasn't Omochao, and decent pacing for what it was, even if it was hard-gated at points.
Yeah, werehog sections, medal collecting, etc, but there's an argument to be made that you wouldn't have been able to properly convey the mood of the narrative and the sense of scale and adventure if the game was over in 7 10 minute stages.
It really was an adventure in the most fundamental sense of the word, even if some of the Werehog stages got a little frustrating with bottomless pits.
Yeah, werehog sections, medal collecting, etc, but there's an argument to be made that you wouldn't have been able to properly convey the mood of the narrative and the sense of scale and adventure if the game was over in 7 10 minute stages.
It really was an adventure in the most fundamental sense of the word, even if some of the Werehog stages got a little frustrating with bottomless pits.
Similar threads
- Poll