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Dashing through the classics: GAF plays Sonic 8 bit - 16 bit series

T

Teknoman

Member
"The most famous hedgehog in the world"

In honor of the upcoming Project Needlemouse Sonic Generations, and another possible great entry in the Sonic series, similar to Colors, the GAF plays Sonic 8 bit - 16 bit classic platforming series topic has been created! There are many ways to play the following games (through various collections and via download), and although it's fun to go back and replay classic games, this topic should serve as a reminder of what made the Sonic series so great.

I recommend that those involved play through the titles in order (depending on the system) to fully take in how the series has grown, however if you cant do so, or just have a few favorites, then by all means play in the order you wish.

16 bit series:

Sonic the Hedgehog

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Sonic has to prevent Dr. Robotnik from collecting the Chaos Emeralds in an attempt to rule the world.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2

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Dr. Robotnik is creating a spaceship of doom, the Death Egg. Sonic and Tails must stop this superweapon.

Sonic CD
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It turns out that Amy Rose, a female hedgehog, had used tarot cards to find Sonic, but was kidnapped in front of his very eyes. Sonic must find Metal Sonic, whom kidnapped her. Meanwhile, he must also collect the Time Stones and travel through time to foil Dr. Robotnik's latest plot.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3

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The Death Egg has crashed on an ancient island kept afloat in space by the Master Emerald. The force lowers the island into the sea. Dr. Robotnik begins repairs, and convinces the guardian of the Master Emerald, Knuckles the Echidna, that he is with Knuckles in protecting the island and that Sonic and Tails will try to steal it.

Sonic & Knuckles

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* For maximum enjoyment, play Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles locked on as one game *


8 bit series:

Sonic the Hedgehog

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Dr. Robotnik is menacing South Island and imprisoning animals in badniks; the heroic hedgehog sets out to defeat him, potenitally collecting 6 Chaos Emeralds along the way.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2

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Tails has been captured by Robotnik on South Island, and you must play as Sonic to retrieve not only the six chaos emeralds but Tails as well.

Sonic Chaos

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Robotnik has taken the red Chaos Emerald, and he's hunting for more. Sonic and Tails are entrusted with saving South Island before it is too late.

Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble

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While the evil genius Dr. Robotnik is testing the ultimate destructive weapon, one of his assistants makes a big mistake. The resulting explosion scatters five of the Chaos Emeralds across the planet Mobius and sets off a high-speed Emerald Hunt!





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Alright GAF lets go!
 
M

Mama Robotnik

Member
No Sonic Chaos?

EDIT - And its an evil act to put Sonic 2 GG up there rather than Sonic 2 Master System. As the former is broken-insane-bastard-hard, while the latter is merely very difficult.
 
F

Firestorm

Member
Sonic & Knuckles? Or did you just put it together with Sonic 3?

I just went through Sonic 3 and Sonic 2 on XBLA lately. By the way, I need to win 10 matches on Xbox Live on Sonic 2 for my last achievement. Anyone wanna play me? :( I played Iam Canadian but he hosted and it seems like the person not hosting has significant input delay so he won like a million times =(
 
HUELEN10

HUELEN10

Member
Is there a penalty for failing to meet certain goal Teknoman? If there is, make it something like you have to play Sonic Blast on game Gear, that'll teach you a lesson! :lol

Seriously, that game sucked.
Firestorm said:
Sonic & Knuckles? Or did you just put it together with Sonic 3?

I just went through Sonic 3 and Sonic 2 on XBLA lately. By the way, I need to win 10 matches on Xbox Live on Sonic 2 for my last achievement. Anyone wanna play me? :( I played Iam Canadian but he hosted and it seems like the person not hosting has significant input delay so he won like a million times =(
Click to expand...
I can do it, but only like right now. I have time now, and my 360 is here ATM, so PM me all details and I can help.
 
F

fugimax

Member
Just hooked up my Genesis to my new 26-year-old TV I picked up from someone at work. It's in awesome condition (screen is amazing for being 26 years old). I was playing some Sonic last night ... maybe I'll actually go through all the ones I have – 1,2,3 + Sonic & Knuckles.

Will post a pic if I get around to it.
 
T

Teknoman

Member
Firestorm said:
Sonic & Knuckles? Or did you just put it together with Sonic 3?

I just went through Sonic 3 and Sonic 2 on XBLA lately. By the way, I need to win 10 matches on Xbox Live on Sonic 2 for my last achievement. Anyone wanna play me? :( I played Iam Canadian but he hosted and it seems like the person not hosting has significant input delay so he won like a million times =(
Click to expand...

Most people usually count those as one whole game, but I guess you would have to play that seperately, since some collections dont have it unlocked from the start.
 
HUELEN10

HUELEN10

Member
Sorry Firestorm, maybe another day. I need some Bayonetta ATM. After that, I will play STT off of Gems Collection with a DS2 controller. Fun times? Hell yeah.
No_Style said:
What's the best collection for Sonic games again? The PS2 compilation? There are so many, I've lost track.
Click to expand...
If you want most true to the original, then VC is for you. GCN Gems collection was solid, but I have heard that the PS2 one might have some sound issues, could anyone confirm? Gems collection on GCN and PS2 is universally good.

I would say avoid the backbone ones if you can.
 
B

BlueScrote

Member
I like this the idea of this. I don't have any of those original systems, but I have the ultimate genesis collection, and I've been meaning to finish the sonic games.
 
C

Conrad Link

Member
Was there a crazy Brazilian version of Triple Trouble ever?

I always wanted that on Master System back when I was little (Master System was huge in NZ in the old days) but by the time that came out the 16bit days had taken over completely so I guess it wasn't worth it even for here!
 
T

Teknoman

Member
Had no idea there was an actual difference between the Master system and GG versions, but the GG versions are most likely the easiest to access these days.
 
M

Mama Robotnik

Member
Teknoman said:
Damn...knew I forgot something.
Click to expand...

Thanks for adding it. Sonic Chaos was a decent game, while not as crazy-hard as Sonic 2 8-Bit, it was more pleasant and varied, and impressively pushed the GG and Master System.

(Unless you are SEGA of course, who consider it the one and only Sonic game for the last eighteen years that "didn't nail it")

GS: What games do you think didn’t quite nail it?

KB: I think Sonic the Hedgehog Chaos was put in a bit of a situation. Coming out on the Master System with 8-bit graphics after you had seen Sonic on the Genesis in full 16-bit glory was a bit rough. Visually and speedwise, it was just not as impressive as its Genesis brethren.
Click to expand...

And yeah, that includes Black Knight, Shadow, 2006, Unleashed, etc. Take that as you will.
 
A

Aaron Strife

Banned
Teknoman said:
Had no idea there was an actual difference between the Master system and GG versions, but the GG versions are most likely the easiest to access these days.
Click to expand...
You can get the MS versions of Sonic 1/2/Chaos on virtual console.
 
S

Sciz

Member
As I recall, the Master System versions have a more limited color palette but a larger resolution, with only occasional gameplay, level design, and music changes.
 
T

Teknoman

Member
Aaron Strife said:
You can get the MS versions of Sonic 1/2/Chaos on virtual console.
Click to expand...

Really? Hmm...totally missed that. Are they really THAT different, or is just a few minor adjustments (like graphic and difficulty balancing)?

EDIT: Oh, thanks Sciz.
 
goldenpp72

goldenpp72

Member
Teknoman said:
Really? Hmm...totally missed that. Are they really THAT different, or is just a few minor adjustments (like graphic and difficulty balancing)?

EDIT: Oh, thanks Sciz.
Click to expand...

They share nothing but the same name and in some instances a similar level theme in sonic 1s first level.
 
S

Sciz

Member
goldenpp72 said:
They share nothing but the same name and in some instances a similar level theme in sonic 1s first level.
Click to expand...
He's asking about the differences between the Master System and Game Gear versions of the 8-bit titles, not between the 8-bit and 16-bit titles.
 
C

celebi23

Member
command + F: "spinball" :lol

No love for Sonic Spinball? :lol I know it wasn't the best Sonic game but damn, I played the shit out of that as a kid. Hell, maybe I'll go play some right now :D Funny story. Was playing it (maybe was around 8 at the time) and was racking up an insanely high score (possibly above 2,000,000. not really sure). My foot then accidentally hit the stupid reset button :lol Anyhoo, here's some information about the game for the uninitiated :lol


16-Bit Version:
Sonic Spinball

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Sonic The Hedgehog™ spins into pinball pandemonium! Dr. Robonik's™ latest robot-creation factory is the Veg-O-Fortress, a volcanic island fueled by the Chaos Emeralds and protected by the Pinball Defense System!



8-Bit Version:
Sonic Spinball

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[No Japanese version found]

Sonic The Hedgehog™ spins into pinball pandemonium! Dr. Robonik's™ latest robot-creation factory is the Veg-O-Fortress, a volcanic island fueled by the Chaos Emeralds and protected by the Pinball Defense System!

Some links of interest:
http://www.theghz.com/sonic/spinball/spinball.html
http://www.x-cult.org/newegg/games/9/Sonic_Spinball/
http://info.sonicretro.org/Sonic_Spinball
http://info.sonicretro.org/Sonic_Spinball_(8-bit)

feel free to put the information into the OP if you want :lol
 
C

Combichristoffersen

Combovers don't work when there is no hair
HUELEN10 said:
Is there a penalty for failing to meet certain goal Teknoman? If there is, make it something like you have to play Sonic Blast on game Gear, that'll teach you a lesson! :lol

Seriously, that game sucked.
Click to expand...

Sonic Blast was possibly even worse than Sonic Heroes. It's just astoundingly awful.
 
A Black Falcon

A Black Falcon

Member
Combichristoffersen said:
Sonic Blast was possibly even worse than Sonic Heroes. It's just astoundingly awful.
Click to expand...

Is that why Sonic Blast isn't on that list?

Even if it's bad, it should be there anyway I think... :)


Also, yeah, the SMS versions of 8-bit Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic 2, Sonic Chaos, and Sonic Blast should be there as well. They are the better versions due to the greater draw distance.

Also, of course, there are the other 8 and 16 bit spinoff games, namely Tails' Adventure on the Game Gear (GG exclusive, Metroid influenced, and with 16-character passwords (annoying, but the only 8-bit Sonic with any kind of saving)... pretty good game though), Tails' Sky Patrol also for the GG only (a Japan-exclusive shmup generally regarded as poor), and Knuckles Chaotix. I guess they could be left out, but they are at least related. (Oh, and perhaps Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, maybe, but that's just a rethemed version of Puyo Puyo of course)

Conrad Link said:
Was there a crazy Brazilian version of Triple Trouble ever?

I always wanted that on Master System back when I was little (Master System was huge in NZ in the old days) but by the time that came out the 16bit days had taken over completely so I guess it wasn't worth it even for here!
Click to expand...

No, Triple Trouble was not ported to the SMS even in Brazil. Sonic Blast, which came out after Triple Trouble, was ported to the SMS in a Brazil-exclusive release, but Triple Trouble for some reason was not anywhere...


Anyway, I got a Game Gear mid 2009 and now have Sonic 1 and Sonic Chaos for it. I'm meaning to get GG Sonic 2 soon, it's available for a few bucks around here. I know it's considered the worst one, but I should have it. :) Oh, I also have Sonic Spinball.

I actually liked 8-bit Sonic Spinball, and beat the game in just a few days. It was pretty good, I thought, once I got used to it... 16-bit Sonic Spinball I've always found impossibly hard (I think I've gotten past the first level once, if that), but the 8-bit game is actually doable. Yeah, it's not perfect, but it's not that bad. I definitely had fun playing through it. The ball physics are somewhat iffy, controls are decent at best, and the later levels are confusing, but still, it's fun to bounce around and figure things out... the puzzle in each level is figuring out where all the Chaos Emeralds are hidden. Getting them all was sometimes frustrating, but fun overall. That you can actually beat the game is nice, I like games you can win...


As for the platformers, Sonic 1 is good, but the fact that there are no rings in boss stages is very, very frustrating. I know I've gotten to the final boss, but I'm not sure if I actually beat him... it's just evil to have to fight bosses with no rings! Other than that the game's pretty good, but that is a design flaw that must be mentioned. There is a semi-hidden item in each boss stage, but it's just a 1-up, not rings. The game also has no continues unless you earn them, so it's tough. Some jumps are tough because of the smaller screen, but for the most part I figured things out without too much trouble.

Sonic Chaos is, in comparison, pretty easy. I beat it quickly with Tails without too much trouble. In this one the boss stages do have rings. The semi-hidden items in boss stages return, but this time they're rings, not a 1up. Much better. :) The game is pretty easy, particularly with Tails, but it tries to balance it some by making it so that you can only get the Chaos Emeralds with Sonic, so you can get through it with Tails, sure, but you need to play it with Sonic to get the best ending. It has infinite continues, making it much easier to finish. So yeah, it's fun, but don't expect it to last long unless you're trying to collect all the chaos emeralds. Oh yeah, and the game may have been SMS first, but I don't remember any parts where the smaller screen really was a problem... maybe there are a few where it is a slight issue, but it's not too bad.
 
T

TheSeks

Blinded by the luminous glory that is David Bowie's physical manifestation.
I really want to play Sonic CD. Too bad Sega has to be idiots and release it on nothing but the Gamecube so far. :|
 
C

Combichristoffersen

Combovers don't work when there is no hair
A Black Falcon said:
Is that why Sonic Blast isn't on that list?

Even if it's bad, it should be there anyway I think... :)
Click to expand...

OP probably just forgot about it, as Sonic Blast is one of the lesser known entries in the 8-bit series. And it's just as well, just look at the awful graphics, it's like Sega attempted to make a Donkey Kong Country for the GG, realized it looked like shit, but just went ahead and released it anyway. Doesn't help that the gameplay is pretty crappy too.

TheSeks said:
I really want to play Sonic CD. Too bad Sega has to be idiots and release it on nothing but the Gamecube so far. :|
Click to expand...

It's on the PS2 too, if you live in Japan or Europe, that is. And there's a PC version, which should work in Win XP (and possibly Vista/7), as long as you apply the necessary patch.

edit: Sunset Park act 3 music, fuck yeah
 
S

Sciz

Member
A Black Falcon said:
Is that why Sonic Blast isn't on that list?

Even if it's bad, it should be there anyway I think... :)

Also, of course, there are the other 8 and 16 bit spinoff games, namely Tails' Adventure on the Game Gear (GG exclusive, Metroid influenced, and with 16-character passwords (annoying, but the only 8-bit Sonic with any kind of saving)... pretty good game though), Tails' Sky Patrol also for the GG only (a Japan-exclusive shmup generally regarded as poor), and Knuckles Chaotix. I guess they could be left out, but they are at least related. (Oh, and perhaps Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, maybe, but that's just a rethemed version of Puyo Puyo of course)
Click to expand...
The only other genuinely decent classic-style games that aren't on the list are Pocket Adventure and Advance 1. I suspect Advance 1 is still too modern-flavored for the purposes of this topic, and I'm pretty sure no more than five people ever played Pocket Adventure on an actual NGPC.

Chaotix isn't bad, but the special stages are the only part of the gameplay I'd happily call "good", and like SPA it's essentially emulation-only at this point.
 
S

Sixfortyfive

He who pursues two rabbits gets two rabbits.
The only game in the OP I've yet to play all the way through is Sonic 1 8-bit. Never did own that one.

Mama Robotnik said:
And its an evil act to put Sonic 2 GG up there rather than Sonic 2 Master System. As the former is broken-insane-bastard-hard, while the latter is merely very difficult.
Click to expand...
The Game Gear was the only portable I owned when I was younger, and I owned it solely for 14-hour car trips that my family took to visit other relatives twice a year for the holidays. For a long time, Sonic 2 GG was the only game I owned for it, and I got ridiculously good at it since it was the only thing I had to do for an entire day at a time. So good that when a classmate of mine just happened to randomly bring along a Game Gear and Sonic 2 for our ACM trip this year, I was able to beat it in about 40 minutes and with less than 5 or so deaths, and this is after not having touched it in about 15 years. Honestly, it's probably a good thing that the first boss is the most difficult one in this game, as I would have hated to spend a lot of time to reach it only to lose all my lives on it.

Protip: In Sky High Zone Act 2, there's a 1-up near the bottom-left corner of the stage. If you roll from the ledge on the right side of the screen, bounce on top of the 1-up box as you're rolling to the left, and move offscreen before the box completely explodes, it will respawn and you can do this an unlimited number of times. The lives counter won't display numbers above 9, but you will still earn them. I don't know if this works on the SMS version with its increased draw distance. Also, the hang glider in this act is a red herring and you should use springs hidden in the clouds to reach the Chaos Emerald instead.

I actually still kind of like Sonic 2 8-bit, probably more than Chaos and Triple Trouble, anyway. Even though it has just as many cheap hits as Sonic Rush (which I hated), most of them can be nullified with some rings.

celebi23 said:
No love for Sonic Spinball?
Click to expand...
I kinda like this game as well. All it takes is a little practice to figure out the physics (which do seem a little out of whack for a Sonic game), but it's mostly smooth sailing after that.
 
C

Combichristoffersen

Combovers don't work when there is no hair
Sixfortyfive said:
The only game in the OP I've yet to play all the way through is Sonic 1 8-bit. Never did own that one.
Click to expand...

You should definitely play it, it's pretty good. I'd argue that in terms of level design, it's one of the most creative of the 'classic' Sonic games, as it featured an auto-scrolling level, a vertically scrolling level, the first (and possibly only) Sonic game having an overhead map between levels showing your progress and the first appearance of Robotnik's airship base.
 
A

_Alkaline_

Member
Combichristoffersen said:
You should definitely play it, it's pretty good. I'd argue that in terms of level design, it's one of the most creative of the 'classic' Sonic games, as it featured an auto-scrolling level, a vertically scrolling level, the first (and possibly only) Sonic game having an overhead map between levels showing your progress and the first appearance of Robotnik's airship base.
Click to expand...

The Master System version basically plays out like an average Mario game with a bit more flexibility in control. There's a lot less speed and a bit more precision, and it's a nice change from the Genesis/MD version. It's nothing amazing but it still holds up fine.

Also, Scrap Brain and Sky Base are still both really quite atmospheric.
 
S

Sixfortyfive

He who pursues two rabbits gets two rabbits.
Combichristoffersen said:
You should definitely play it, it's pretty good. I'd argue that in terms of level design, it's one of the most creative of the 'classic' Sonic games, as it featured an auto-scrolling level, a vertically scrolling level, the first (and possibly only) Sonic game having an overhead map between levels showing your progress and the first appearance of Robotnik's airship base.
Click to expand...
Yeah, it always came off as a pretty interesting game to me. I rented it once way back when and made it to the Air Base stage, but I never beat it. Hardly remember any of it either, so I should probably give it another try sometime.

Also: lesser-known Jackson inspiration

_Alkaline_ said:
Also, Scrap Brain and Sky Base are still both really quite atmospheric.
Click to expand...
I really think the music in particular is way underrated for the 8-bit series. It's almost every bit as good on average as its Genesis brethren. Yuzo Koshiro did the music for 8-bit Sonic 1, IIRC. I'm pretty sure the composer for 8-bit Sonic 2 also worked on Sonic CD and NiGHTS.
 
S

Sciz

Member
Sixfortyfive said:
I really think the music in particular is way underrated for the 8-bit series. It's almost every bit as good on average as its Genesis brethren.
Click to expand...
Not that there isn't some good stuff in there, but "on average" is a really strong way to put it when the average it's up against is 16-bit Sonic. Underrated and overlooked, yes, but none of them are the start-to-finish masterpieces their big brothers are.

Sonic 1 is pretty close, in its own way.

Sixfortyfive said:
Yuzo Koshiro did the music for 8-bit Sonic 1, IIRC. I'm pretty sure the composer for 8-bit Sonic 2 also worked on Sonic CD and NiGHTS.
Click to expand...
Correct on both counts. Though to be more accurate, of S2 GG's three composers, Naofumi Hataya is the one you mean.
 
T

Teknoman

Member
Left out spinball and Sonic 3d blast since I was really going for getting people to have a fresh look at what made classic Sonic style platforming so great. I mean yeah, Spinball was kinda fun back in the day, and still is now...as far as video game pinball goes. But it doesnt really fit with this replay topic's theme.

Same for Sonic Advance 1 (that was cool, but just going for the ones that reached classic status, Advance 1 is still a little too recent...althought the best portable Sonic game to this day imo).
 
T

Teknoman

Member
Combichristoffersen said:
He was only involved with the music for S3&K tho. Incidentally, those are also the games I think have the least memorable music of the Mega Drive games.
Click to expand...

I kinda have to agree here. Aside from Angel Island, Mushroom Hill, Hydrocity, Death Egg, Flying Battery, Sandopolis, Carnival Night, and the final boss themes anyway.

I need to go ahead and unlock Sonic 3+Knuckles on Mega Collection...never took out the time to do so.
 
B

Branduil

Member
Sonic 1 for the Master System does have some differences from the GG version. The bosses and emerald placements are a bit harder in the Master System version.
 
C

Conrad Link

Member
Sonic Chaos was probably the easiest of the bunch, I remember getting it for Master System and being so excited... finally a 'Mega Drive quality' Sonic game on the Master System!

- Playable Tails this time (you had to just rescue him in Master System Sonic 2).
- Spin dash.
- Sonic had more animations, like his on the edge I'm gonna fall one.

Those were my reasons for being hyped, ahh the mind of a young person. :lol

Then I finished it in a few hours and was like thats it?
 
A

Acosta

Member
Red Scarlet said:
Game Gear was 8 bit? I thought "8 bit Sonic" was gonna be from the Brazilian Master System.
Click to expand...

Game Gear was a Master System-lite, it even had an adapter for running Master System games on it (I had one).
 
A

Android18a

Member
Great thread. Loving the Japanese box arts. Hating that wierd Westernised Sonic that was always on our artwork :(

Been playing them on 360 again lately-ish. :)
 
D

Diablohead

Member
Will be playing over them all, since I own the games on multiple platforms :p

Dr. Robotnik is menacing South Island and imprisoning animals in badniks; the heroic hedgehog sets out to defeat him, potenitally collecting 6 Chaos Emeralds along the way.
Click to expand...
In sonic 1 8-bit, sonic uses the chaos emeralds to remove the pollution on the island if he has all 6 at the end.
 
Nakasan

Nakasan

Member
Just finished Sonic 1 and it reminded me how the final boss stage music is utterly fantastic in that game.

I've never played, from start to finish, Sonic 2. And it's always bugged me. Nows as good a time as any hey! :D

Played through and completed Sonic 3 and Knuckles about 2 months ago with all super emeralds. That really is my favourite Sonic game!

Just to add to it, I'm playing the Sonic Jam Saturn 'original' versions. Prefer the pad.

Also, correct me now if I'm wrong guys as I was under the impression the 8 bit games were.. umm.. not so good. I've never played them. Given that I'll have no nostalgic hold over me while playing them, should I still bother?
 
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