Sonic the Hedgehog Review - Quickies Don't Cut It
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- Опубліковано 30 вер 2024
- An in-depth analysis video for Sonic the Hedgehog. What made this classic such a standout in 1991 and did it make some missteps?
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Writing, narrating & editing: Michael Hardeman
Logo designs: ''Redberd36'', Specter Salmon & ''Ollie''
Game creation: Sonic Team
Sonic the Hedgehog © Sega
All music & imagery © to their respective owners
47 minutes for a review of a Genesis game?
You are my absolute favorite UA-camr, hands down.
These are the comments that keep me going and make it all worth it! Thank you very much!
Hey gamechamp
Why are you not verified.
This is straight up longer than a bare minimum run of Sonic CD. [Not searching for robot generators, Metal Sonic holograms, or time stones]
You're the first person I've seen reviewing Sonic 1 who's actually good at it... like, really good at it. Which further drives home the fact that Sonic the Hedgehog encourages mechanical mastery, flow and momentum. This is coming from someone who got into Sonic the Hedgehog since Sonic Generations (and is really into Devil May Cry and other stylish spectacle fighters).
Love the discussions about the panning screen (or lack there of), as well. Nobody even mentions it... That feature would've helped a ton, especially for newcomers. Hell, now with the power of HD wizardry we got today, you can zoom out the camera... Sonic Advance 1-3 remastered anyone... anyone?
Ironically, those who say Sonic in general sucks, suck themselves at the games and outright refuse to learn the intricasies of his games, beyond the fact that you GOTTA GO FAST. It's really funny actually.
Also, excellent review, as always. :)
Well yeah, I grew up playing these games a ton so I know them very well. I think there are valid reasons people wouldn't like the Classic Sonic games, but I feel like how bad its flaws are is usually overstated. The visibility issues and stuff do exist, clearly, but I wouldn't consider it a game-breaking aspect that completely ruins the games.
Glad you enjoyed the video, man. :D
Like I said, I've got into Sonic the Hedgehog since Generations and worked my way back to it starting from Sonic 1. And I've been playing a lot of Sonic 1 on mobile in this last year. All the tips and shortcuts you showed in this review... like the ones in Springyard or Marble Zone... those are things I discovered on my own before this... And discovering this on your own is really satisfying and goes to show how Sonic games really encourage more than just going fast.
Seriously, I take offense in people saying "Sonic was never good". I can understand not liking Sonic games, that's fine and perfectly understandable, fast-paced and reaction-based platformers aren't for everyone... but there is a difference between not liking something and saying something is genuinely bad... A thing some "game critics" seem to forget...
Speaking of game critics, remember Game Scoop and their recent "Sega doubles down on Sonic" video? I've checked the recent comments on that vid. I found their reply on a comment from someone. Also gave my reply. You can even check the recent comment yourself on that vid. It's quite hilarious. Check it out here.
drive.google.com/file/d/0BxEjYtDvdkIEb2w4cHNYbkZ1ZEE/view?usp=sharing
Someone can post this on Twitter, please. I don't use Twitter, but this is something so funny, yet kinda sad too.
Yes. As much as I believe the 2D Sonics overall aren't as tightly designed as many of the 2D Mario titles (I personally enjoy 2D Sonic more, still) I feel like people tend to focus on the negative aspects of Sonic and then refuse to acknowledge or simply haven't found the positive aspects. Sonic is very unique and its degree of exploration, as well as the depth to the controls and physics, is really something satisfying to play around with and eventually master. It's a hard concept to execute very well, though, and it was never without its flaws as I brought up in this review, but just play Bubsy 1 for a couple stages and you will immediately recognize Sonic did have some careful thought placed into its design. Saying Sonic is bad seems overly critical or a bandwagon to me (although I am not saying people can't have this opinion if they make very good arguments), but I think Bubsy would fall under that category of bad. THAT game feels as horrendous to play as people say Sonic feels to play.
Also, yeah I saw this video from IGN. I think there is a grain of truth to some parts of what they're saying (NOT that Sonic was never good, but rather that it has very easy to identify flaws) but again it feels like they really overstated it and the tone wasn't very pleasing, either. I also do like how they only respond to a kid, but not others, haha.
+Retropolis Zone Don't get me wrong, Sonic games, be it classic, adventure, boost or other variants, have flaws... more so than some people might want to admit... But saying Sonic was never good borders on the ludicrous... Worse, going out of your way to make fun of people (and not even in a funny light-hearted way, but just pure mockery) who genuinely enjoy Sonic games, or any other franchise for that matter, flaws and all, is downright disgusting and should not be excused in any way, shape or form and it baffles me to no end how these kind of people are allowed to even have a job in game journalism... I guess you really don't need to like or play games to be a game journalist...
I went on a bit of a rant here, sorry... Just wanted to get this off my chest :). I'll just say this last thing. Despite how flawed Sonic games may be, when everything works, when all the pieces fall into place, even for a split second, you are greeted with some of the most liberating, uplifting, fun, deep and downright enjoyable games you could ever play... no... experience... even for a split second... And that is something I don't say very often.
I am glad you mentioned that you admit to the flaws of these games. Folks who ignore/excuse the flaws of Sonic games bother me, as well. The Classic Sonic games are far from bad, but I feel sometimes people get really upset and nasty when somebody has valid complaints about the Classics or even Sonic in general. I've always believed there is a degree of truth behind every cultural belief; the bandwagon against Sonic didn't come entirely from out of nowhere. The stuff people say to put Sonic down comes from something that really is a problem, but it's just overblown and cherry-picked while the other side of the coin is neglected.
I'm pretty decent at Sonic 1, but man I've learnt so much from watching this video, it made me appreciate the game even more.
At least you have the correct opinion here, man. Unlike Twip. ;)
@@RetropolisZone and IGN
Both Sonic 1 and Heroes are mid
"We wanted the player to take a break and catch their breath."
SO YOU THROW SONIC UNDERWATER?!
Awesome review man! The video looks crisp AF. Had a great time watching. =D
Your comment is very much appreciated!
This review and in-depth analysis on why speed is so satisfying in Sonic is why Arin from Game Grumps view on Sonic as a whole is wrong.
True
Shikojen Arin = IGN
Once again, great in-depth review you've made.
All of them are good :)
Thanks, CJ!
I like this game.
...
Except Labyrinth Zone. Fuck that zone.
Yeah. That is a piece of dogshit zone
Maybe the most thoroughly in-depth, fair review of Sonic 1 out there now. Really went over everything good and bad about the game in a way that I can totally understand and agree with as I've felt its aspects of poor aging over the years myself, yet still love it for some reason beyond simple nostalgia, and you pretty much laid out exactly why. Of course that being said there will ALWAYS be nostalgia for this game-- i'll never forget being like 5 years old and seeing the brand-new-at-the-time Sonic playing on my cousin's Genesis and being absolutely shell-shocked that something that looked and sounded as good as the arcades was actually possible at home, I'll never forget how unbelievably amazing it was to see him roll through and destroy the walls, and even marble zone's music and atmosphere with its clinking chains and shimmering tubes and bubbling lava blew my mind at the time. Far from a perfect game but still one of the all-time greats.
This was incredibly well-detailed and insightful. I never knew how rewarding the in-game physics engine was for it's time, and you really accentuate both the positives and negatives of the first title in the series, and made me want to play it again soon for nostalgic sake.
( Oh, and I hope SomecallmeJohnny gets to see this soon as well =) )
Great job overall Michael! Voice work has also really improved over the years, looking on this and on your Adventure 1 review.
Best review of Sonic 1 on UA-cam. I love this game, but 17:39 has been my main complaint for years. I glad someone else finally mentioned it. 20:39 is also another problem. I don't mean to sound like a hater. This is actually one of my favorite games
That Spring Yard Zone shortcut actually blew my mind. Great review!
Thank you very much. :D
I think Sonic Rush had a good solution for the ring/boss issue you discussed. In that game, the more you get hit when in a level, or during a boss, the farther your rings would fly away from your character, making it a tougher challenge to recollect your rings when you get hit. This can actually make the bosses in Rush pretty challenging when compared to bosses from other Sonic games, because you can't brute force your way through the fight as much.
Ah, that's pretty neat. I haven't played Sonic Rush in almost a decade, but the system you mentioned does sound like a pretty effective method to make the Rings less game-breaking! I'll check that out soon. :)
I love ur reviews cause they are so long, more long than the completionest
I am still wondering why some people says that Sonic was never good
The majority of those people are just IGN/Egoraptor's blind followers. Don't mind them.
also that review with those 2 guys
Pfftt HAHAHAHAHAHA ohhh yeah and Mario 64 is bland! 😂 woo we your killing me! Hehe donkey kong is too easy too! 😂!
nobody said that Mario 64 was bland
It's a joke. I said that to add to the exaggeration. The reason why I made that comment is because sonic games to me are made so well! The mega drive trilogy,06,unleashed,the adventure games,sonic 4 episode 2,generations,cd. All of them are made so well and I love them! To say "sonic was never good" is very irritating to me because that is such a dumb lie. With all the games made there has to be one that you think is even a little good. I hate the sonic twitter for a similar reason. Why under any reason would you devote an entire twitter account to make fun of YOUR game?! That's so dumb! Dose Nintendo make fun of other M? No they don't! So why would you! Well this comment got long. But I just wanted to explain myself so I don't offend anyone.
Great review man!
Can we see you speedrun the whole game? Because HOLY SHIT THE SPEED!!!
Thanks, Frank! Maybe I'll show it sometime on a stream, haha. ;)
Can't say much else besides well done as usual. Well written, well delivered, well edited. I do think all the time you spent tinkering with the script worked out for the best. I think you explain why the visibility and lack of screen panning is a problem far better than I did. I just kind of glossed over those points because I didn't want to alienate my audience more than I already was.
Sonic 1 is one of my favorites of the classics, because frankly the following two sequels either made Sonic 1's problems worse, or fixed them while creating new ones. On top of that, I appreciate the slower pacing and the focus on platforming. It scratches my Mario itch, you might say. Are there things the sequels do better? Yeah. But I still think this one plays smoother and has a more consistent quality standard than 2 or CD. 3 and Knuckles is probably the best, but that four and a half hour race we did recently reminded me why I don't come back to it all that often.
Anyways, good work, let’s see what you make of Sonic 2.
What I like the most about Sonic 1 is that that speed you earn is more of a result of player skill rather than the level design pushing you forward and also the fact that speed, platforming and exploration all happen at the same time... most of the times.
Sonic 3 and Knuckles is almost perfect, refining some aspects from Sonic 1, 2 and CD and adding a lot of interactivity to the world (swinging vines in Angel Island, spinning tops in Marble Garden, the mushrooms in Mushroom Hill and so many more stuff to interact). But sometimes, I have this weird feeling that some levels feel a bit stretched and make the speed you get a bit artificial and automated... more so in the first half of the game, though it isn't that noticeable.
Sonic Mania from the looks of it takes everything from Sonic 3&K and condenses it... and I really like how it looks so far. :)
Da's a nice comment, Exio. Thanks, mate.
You don't go back to 3andk that much exo? That's weird to hear but I suppose it makes sense since your a modernist (not using that to insult you) as for myself i love the classics but I've been playing them so much recently so I'm kind of burnt out on them so I've decided to play some adventure and modern games to mix things up however I still love the classics and they are my favorite sonic games anyways excellent review you and exo are awesome and are some of my favorite reviewers keep it up
Also shout out to Marius I love your positivity when it comes to sonic your like the reverse al jerico or something anyway your awesome too
+American Burger Gamer I just like good games, 'tis all. Also, Merry Christmas to you and everybody in this comment section. :3
Well done. It was definitely a good idea for you to postpone this video to improve it. The results show. All of your points are spot on and fair with no bias. Compared to ExoParadigmGamer's analysis, I'd say that this and that are just about tied. I look forward to when you tackle Sonic 2.
Glad it ended up paying off to postpone the video! And thanks for the comment! :D
8 Minutes in, and this is already easily the best and most in depth review I've ever seen of Sonic 1. Great job!
That's very awesome to hear man. I took a lot of time and care with this Sonic 1 video to get all the details right. :)
Amazing job here! It's pretty damn nice and refreshing to see a review of this game that actually discusses some of the major issues it has in an in-depth fashion (particularly the problematic visibility, the limited continues and the special stage, all of which PISS ME OFF and make me appreciate the smartphone re-release even more for either fixing or alleviating them) and still acknowledges the good in it, since most of the others I've seen didn't do that at all.
Now I'm looking forward to the Sonic 2 review, because man, oh man, I think you'll probably have A LOT to talk about that one.
Oh, and as usual, keep up your good work!
Thanks, mate! And glad to see you sticking around! Sonic 2 is going to be quite the challenge, probably, just like Sonic 1. Haha.
I'm just gonna have to come to accept that I'm the only one who enjoys the special stages, great review dude.
Shaolin Turtle
I _kinda_ like it, especeally after playing the Sonic 2 one
I can beat them fairly consistently now, but something about the rotation, the confusion of where to go, the difficulty in controlling Sonic and the bumpers... Ugh, I just don't really see any good in it, but I am glad you find enjoyment in them. :)
Carlos Eduardo Aguiar The Sonic 2 special stages are my favorite from a conceptual standpoint, but probably least favorite when it comes to execution.
Retropolis Zone By all means I agree with you on what's wrong with them, I've always felt the same way, I just had fun regardless, and I believe in the concept, I've played fan mods/hacks that make the special stages a lot easier to control and generally more forgiving, for example areas that would drop you into the goal without knowing usually had the same blocks you have to break through to get to the emerald, blocking the goal orbs(on weaker strength though), so you generally had a chance to still get the emerald regardless of falling somewhere you didn't initially see.
I had a lot of fun playing those as a result and I feel like if Sega designed the special stages in Sonic 1 in a similar fashion they wouldn't draw as much criticism, and maybe you'd have a bit more people like me that actually enjoy them.
I've been trying to put my own thoughts about this game into words for quite some time now, but this video says it all. Fantastic review.
Sweet! That's nice nice to read. :)
See, I like Marble Zone... but I realize I'm in the minority.
Labyrinth Zone is the second zone in the Japanese version, with the much easier Marble Zone being a breather level deeper into the experience. Sega USA moved Marble Zone to the second zone because it was a less jarring difficulty spike.
Just wanted to say your reviews of the Sonic games currently are the ONLY...I repeat the ONLY reviews I have ever seen that bring up points that I never see anyone else bring up. I thought I was literally the only one to realize so many things about this game , Sonic 2, Adventure, Heroes, and etc.
Stuff like how the way Sonic turns in each 3d games and how that affects his speed, his feel, and how the games overall are viewed. You sir, are one of my favorites to view for reviews, I find your quickies don't cut it to be quite excellent.
Thanks! This is great to read! I do have a lot of experience with Sonic and his games so I know many of the intricacies of each game. Hopefully you'll enjoy future upcoming Sonic reviews just as much. :)
Fantastic review. As a skilled veteran of the series it's great to know i'm not alone in thinking that the game is built around open ended platforming and exploration with smooth and fast gameplay elements and not the hold right and go fast to win drivel that comes from most places. Also very happy on how you talked about the momentum based physics as having a great understanding and feeling for them really changes how you can go about playing the game. I really hope when you get to Sonic 3 (& Knuckles) that you touch on the W Kaiten/Insta Shield as imo it's one of the most underrated gameplay mechanics in the series and once it's mastered, opens up a whole new range of possibilities to skilled players eg: bypassing enemy projectiles, landing safely on spikes for a split second etc.
Glad you enjoyed the review as a fellow veteran of the series! I tried to balance the outstanding aspects of the game that skilled players really get a kick out of, with some of the faults of the game that especially newcomers tend to really struggle with. I think I achieved that quite well. Also, I will be talking about the Insta Shield when I get to Sonic 3 & Knuckles, because it's quite a cool mechanic. :)
Video about Sonic the hedgehog
In a series called quickies don't cut it.
Well the channel is called retropolis zone. Like a certain zone in sanic du.
Excellent review man! I like because you don't try desnecessaraly being funny, like other youtubers.
Sorry for the english.
Thank you! Glad you enjoy the direction of the channel, and I could understand your comment just fine. :)
The review is fair, even though I do disagree with you on many aspects.
As for the layout, I strongly believe you are ignoring the core philosophy of Sonic -- memorization. If they did as you stated, then they would encourage "boarish" playing. There needs to be some incentive to master the game. Nearly all of your complaints regarding stage layout could be solved by using either one of Sonic's ability, or rememorying the previous stages traps and enemy placements.
The stages steadily progress in traps and enemy placement. By time of Level 4 the player should be ever ready to spindash or jump at anything supisious. As the game goes (for any platformer) the level is suppose to push you to mastery; not have you content with as you started. If the challenge itself do not motivate the player, then it's a personal problem; not a mechanic or systematic problem.
Your the only guy who can talk about sonic 1 for 40 minutes and not run out of shit to say.
That's a really good sign👍🏽
Haha, thanks man. :)
dang only 20 years old i feel super old now.. 21
Your video quality is easily in the top .01% of UA-cam.
Thank you very much for this awesome comment! I really appreciate it. :)
I find it funny that you praised Sonic 1's lack of a run button because it makes Sonic feel natural...
...decades later, Lost World gave Sonic a run button.
Yip... I can't say that I'm the biggest fan of Lost World. It's not a bad game, but I find it remarkably bland and the controls aren't very intuitive.
Fantastic video man! After our twitter conversations I was expecting to have a good idea of the topics you were going to cover, but I was impressed and surprised by how you covered those and so many more.
A compliment I always appreciate is that I've made 50 minutes feel like 15, and that could not be more true here.
Dude, getting positive feedback like this from you is so flattering. I got hooked on your videos when I came across them, so seeing you approve of this means a lot! Thanks!
Wow Retropolis, this was the greatest video I've seen on this game. Because I'm Exo and I like Sonic. Although I noticed you didn't spend a few minutes complaining about those bullies who don't like Sonic Adventure 2! Lol
J's Reviews
"A troll for the Sonic community"
This is definitely one of the best videos I've seen on this game. I can agree with just about everything you said.
Very flattering, man! Glad you liked the video. :D
Another great in-depth review and an unbiased one, you like Sonic, you are good at it, and because you mastered the levels and mechanics you could talk about the game and it's quirks with all that experience under your belt, you talked about the positives and negatives in a professional way, can't wait for the next video.
Thanks for the comment and tuning in again, man! I try my best. :D
Labyrinth Zone is slow... Sonic Labyrinth is slow... Was the game named after the stage?!
Very nice deep analyse of Sonic 1.
Hey, I don't know how exactly to word this, but I really appreciate your content, and I want to study it as I see it your work as fantastic examples of how well a review can really be done, I don't really have interest in becoming a reviewer, but I do want to discuss a particular game, that happens to be one of my favorites of all time that I feel has gone on to be heavily underrated throughout most of it's entire existence.
I don't know exactly if I'd be reviewing it properly as basically I'd just be saying everything I feel it did really well, while touching on some criticisms in between, and discussing a bit of it's history as well, I don't really know where I'd begin and how to keep it organized though, or if I should even call it a review if I end up making a video about it, I just know you as well as a few others have inspired me to speak up for things you're passionate about, so I'm a least gonna look into how to go about it.
One last thing, do you write your videos or simply state how you feel on the spot?(probably with some editing of course but still)
I figure I should at least write out my general thoughts on individual parts of the game to have something to go on.
Hey man, I very much appreciate the comment. It's flattering and good to read that you enjoy the videos so much and that they inspire you. It's one of the biggest compliments content creators can get. :)
How to begin and keep your stuff organized is a combination of experience and being decent at writing. I usually begin with key points, then just chug down what I feel and think on the game I am reviewing. I usually worry about polishing sentences and criticisms/praises later, as well as how I'll wire topics together. Sometimes I switch them way around not long before finishing a script. It depends on what I feel is the clearest structure, and what makes for the best segues between subjects.
So yes, I do heavily script my videos. This is probably the phase of the production of the review where I am most picky and perfectionism, so depending on my motivation and how inspired it feel, it can take quite a long while. There is a reason I have lately only been releasing a video a month (I do want to improve that), and that reason is that writing and fully finalizing a script to something I am satisfied with takes long. Probably 50 hours or so in the case of Sonic 1.
Catch your breath... in a water level? Yuji Naka is trying to drown players! :)
I just wanted to state the bullshit that it is that after you finish the final boss you can jump off the platform that locks you in and fall to your death to do the final fight all over again... Killed in a barely interactive cutscene... Fuck
you know what, when i saw this on my recommendations and saw the length of the video i said "oh no, this is gonna suck isnt it?". But I stuck till the end, you have gotten yourself a subscriber
That's a really great compliment! It's much appreciated that you stuck around for such a long video. :)
its just refreshing to see a sonic analysis that isnt the usual "sonic was never good" bullshit that has been plaguing every single sonic think piece in the last few years, and being done by someone who actually knows what the hell he is talking about and knows how to play the game itself.
Its a real shame the remakes didn't get a steam/PC release as a result of the Nintendo exclusivity contract.
Yes, it is unfortunate. Maybe it will happen in the future, but I am not going to count on it. Interestingly, I recorded footage of the Sonic 1 remake via an Android emulator called BlueStacks - on the big screen and with a controller in hand and all. That is an option worth looking into if you really want to play these versions as if they were on Steam or console. :)
Thanks ill look into it
Great review! I really enjoyed it. I think it's really silly that the general gaming "mindset" seems to be asserting that the original Sonic games were never good. If this were the case and nostalgia were the culprit, then how could one explain the way that a new generation of gamers (who had never played a Sega console, due to being too young or having only owned Nintendo consoles) picked up the series with Sonic Mega Collection, etc. and enjoyed them just the same? I think that this mindset will pass, eventually. I logged into my UA-cam account for the first time in months to subscribe...can't wait to hear what you have to say on the next two games and on more titles in the future!
Hey man, thanks for the positive comment and the subscription! That means a lot!
I think what many people have come to realize over the years is that the Classic Sonics have flaws and are not some perfect holy grail. There was a time when practically every 3D Sonic game would be considered bad and that every main instalment, Mega Drive Sonic title was put on a pedestal. Nowadays, I see more people pointing out the negatives of 2D Sonic (which is totally fine by me, I did it in this review too for Sonic 1 alongside the positives), but because Sonic has always been a series with a shaky reputation, it just means a lot of people are gonna start a bandwagon and overstate things to make it out as if Sonic really never was any good. It just happens, haha. It might fly over, it might not. Who knows.
As I said, I think Sonic 1 is still a completely fine game - I would not at all say it's bad, and if you like Sonic you're a nostalgia blinded fool - but I do also notice its problems and don't wanna hide them. We'll see how I feel about about the sequels!
Excellent review Retro.:) I will say, while this game can be pretty rough around the edges I still find it really fun in spite of it's flaws. I do admit playing both Marble and Labyrinth zone the design of those levels felt very non Sonic ish.(More so on the linearity spectrum.) While that to me isn't a bad thing given I play a lot of linear designed games I don't think it works for Sonic honestly.
And one reason why is that it makes the pace of the game go to a crawl and that to me is pretty damn annoying. Especially Labyrinth zone. seriously, if it wasn't for Metropolis Zone that would easily win my least favorite Sonic level in the Genesis era. Though yeah, the physics I will say i'm still impressed with to this day.
For the time this game came out it's a technical marvel and it still is now given there's almost nothing like it on the market right now that does it as well as the Genesis games.(Hell, not even Sonic 4 could do it and it's probably one reason why I felt those games were terribly average at best.)
It's one advantage for sure Sonic always had over it's competitors. Also yeah, the music is definitely great. While it's no DKC 2 for me in terms of how much I love and cherish it it's still great stuff. Goes to show if you put extra effort in it you can do amazing stuff with more limiting hardware.
And yeah, it certainly isn't perfect but i'm honestly baffled when non Sonic fans say these games are just shitty with nothing good about them. And unfortunately a few of my friends don't even like Sonic so sometimes I feel like i'm the odd one out on those cases. Though yeah, this review was definitely worth the wait.:) Keep up the great work buddy.
Thanks, Glenn!
I've been watching a few of your reviews and I gotta wonder, how the fuck do you only have 16k subs when more moronic gaming channels have upwards of 5m subs?
Because channels with short reviews just amass more views. The longer the video, the less likely people in general are to click on it. Most people on UA-cam have terrible attention spans, and never get the idea to just take breaks while watching a long video, which is why channels with longer reviews tend to end up suffering.
It's unfortunate, but true.
20? You're still young. Lol.
Say Retropolis Zone have you actually played any of the Kingdom Hearts games. If not it would be interesting to see what you think of them
I have not, actually. I'll be honest, I am not that much into RPGs like Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts. I might try KH in the future, but I don't see myself doing so in the foreseeable future. Sorry!
"These assholes with spikes on their backs"
"The lazone before the final bozone"
That was hilarious.
As a non-sonic fan and with no nostalgia goggles, but having played the game, I have to say that I agree with everything you mentioned, the good and the not so good stuff in Sonic 1.
A lot of players who never played Sonic go into the game with wrong expectations, I did so too. But that is most likely because of the way Sonic and his games is portraited in advertisement and such.
When you slow down, however, and actually start to explore the levels, it's hella fun.
Love the review here, it sums up basically everything I have to say. I like the presentation and when the game actually does let you go fast, though the fact that this game tries everything in its power to grind you to a halt through unfair means do grate on me, but I wouldn't call it a bad game by any stretch. It's good, but 3 and especially 2 just do more for me, especially in the speed department.
Thank you! Glad you liked it so much!
I am definitely curious how the review for the other Classic Sonic games are going to turn out. :)
That fella is right, no one really talks about the panning screen haha. Like I said before, great stuff! I think this might be one of my favorite reviews out there.
Funny that the giant ring does not appear in scrap brain because of the background smoke
That is some bullshit right there. I would've rather the background smoke been gone in place of being able to get to the Special Stage.
Amazing review! Have you ever watched Retro Replay? He actually mentioned that argument you spoke about before breaking down why Sonic is unique to other platformers. If you haven't, you should check out his reviews!
Thanks a lot, bud! I have not seen any of Retro Replay's reviews, but I'll have a look soon. :)
Sure! I'll leave this post that I put on Exo's RoR review, since it matches yours, too. Although I think I like yours a little better since it brings up some possible fixes. "I have to say for the most part, I agree with your videos on Sonic. One thing that people forget is that Sonic is full of trial & error and the first few playthroughs are AGGRAVATING! Not to mention, you reminded me of why I rarely played Sonic 2 until the Taxman port. Thanks for bringing that up."
BTW, do you have a favorite level here?
I tried to comment earlier, but UA-cam is glitchy and the comment section didnt appear (Im writting this with my Moto X, só Sorry If my auto corrector screw this text), Sonic 1 and/or 2 was my first Game in the TecToy Mega Drive, I used to not like, until some I played the remakes earlier this year, I personally hate the Limited Continues and the camera I used to think it was unplayable without the code for level select, I now played that game many times and really liked.
Also great review RZ this is my favorite Sonic 1 Review, I really want to see your thoughts on Sonic 2.
Also Happy Chrismas and have a great day.
I can definitely see why limited continues annoys certain people whenever it comes to going back to certain games. I would think by the time Mario World came out this design choice would of at least been dropped given it doesn't make any sense to keep it with some exceptions in my mind. Like Star Fox on the Snes given it's A. a short game and B. it is pretty much at it's surface level an arcade game.
Still, I can definitely understand why that again, would annoy certain people more often than not.
Carlos, my friend, thanks for the compliment and comment! I am going to try and deliver just as much on Sonic 2!
Merry Christmas to you, as well! Hopefully Santa won't be giving Mega Man X6 to any of our poor children this year. ;)
One of the best in-depth reviews I've seen in a long time! Subscribed because of this single review and can't wait to see your other videos.
Just a minor suggestion but IMO I feel like your videos could benefit from improving the speed of your dialog by just about 4% to 5%
You are right in that. I try to talk faster than I often end up doing, but since I am Dutch, it tends to be difficult for me to keep everything enunciated well. Thanks for the suggestion, though. :)
Oh, just to be clear I mean speeding it up in post. Like increasing the speed of the audio file and proportionally decreasing the pitch
Great review. I just watched all your reviews in order and man you're an underrated gem on this website. I hope to see more.
Thank you very much for the comment, man! I appreciate that!
The 8 bit version is so much better
Please review Megaman X8 or the Zero series
This is a fantastic review, and is the kind of video structure that I really enjoy and would like to do for some of my own videos. So great to see somebody who actually analyses the gameplay fundamentals of Sonic and realises the inner genius to the physics and momentum. Again, awesome video!
EDIT: Can't wait to see what you have to say on Sonic 2, CD and 3 & Knuckles! Especially 3&K, which is my favourite game ever made and is easily the best entry to the classic Sonic platforming days.
Thanks for the comment, man! I am glad you enjoyed the video! Next review is also a Sonic one, though not 2, CD or 3&K. :)
So this is not a movie review
Sharing this with Sonic fans everywhere
Thanks, mate. :)
in the original layout Labyrinth was the 2nd level
Here was to be the First level layout
1. Green Hill (nature)
2. Labyrinth (nature)
3. Marble (nature)
4. Starlight (technology, but idyllic)
5. Springyard (technology, but deteriorated)
6. Scrap Brain (Full blown cyberpunk dystopia)
When was Sonic thought up? No save feature? Didn't Zelda come out 5 years prior, with its save feature made possible by it being on a floppy disk? Not to mention battery backup was invented a year later for its cartridge release outside Japan!
Shit, by watching this video i discovered... i did NOT know all the secrets in Green Hill Zone, and i've been playing this game since my childhood... what a genius level.
How did you spend 47 minutes talking about Sonic 1, I barely spend 5 when talking about it.
Actually it is possible to destroy a green Orbinaut by jumping in between the spike spheres circling it and hitting it. It's much harder then it sounds though because the space to do so is pretty dang tight. Bombs however are effectively invincible. Well kind of. You can't defeat them yourself but you can trick them into defeating themselves.
Call me crazy but, back then and still to this very day, I've always preferred "Sonic 1" over "Sonic 2"!!
But, "Sonic 3 & Knuckles" is still hands down my favorite in the classic series!!^^
Can't wait to play "Sonic Mania!!" :D
I still think this game holds up great. I really like the combination of slower paced zones and faster ones. It still looks and sounds great. I can understand new comers being put off by unavoidable hazzards until you learn the zones well enough. I feel that the ring system and relative short game length make that complaint a moot point. My only real complaint would be Scrap Brain Act 3... lazy. Just give me a real 3rd act or a new zone a rehash of labyrinth zone sucked. Just want to note I don't dislike any of the stages including labyrinth and have a real soft spot for Marble.
Hey man, I can respect that! You're not coming at me telling me I'm an idiot or whatever, so it's all cool by me. :)
Retropolis Zone No your reviews are great. You deserve way more subs. I should have put this in my original message.
Thank you, no worries! And Merry Christmas! :D
There is a reason why special rings don't appear in scrap brain zone in the manual it says eggman put up a force field or something. I haven't read it for a long time so correct me if I'm wrong
The real reason is because the graphics-part of the Mega Drive that handles the Special Rings, was used for the background smoke in Scrap Brain. It couldn't load both at the same time, so the developers decided to sacrifice the Rings for the smoke.
That is not a reason as to why. That is an excuse of an explanation meant to try and justify something that was already put in place for no reason other than technical limitations (like the guy above me said)
I'm hearing some plagiarism at 35:00 :P
I think I may have watched a certain Jak X review too often... Hehe.
I was a Sega kid first and Nintendo kid second growing up. I came to side-scrolling platformers through Sonic instead of Mario. I didn't play any of the Mario platformers until Super Mario 64 came out and none of the 2D games until a good bit after the Super NES was discontinued. I always approach these games with the "gotta go fast" mentality of Sonic no matter what game it is. Sonic 1 is a classic but hasn't aged as well as Sonic 3 & Knuckles has. Sonic 2 at least had the Spin Dash and Tails could fly in S3&K. Choosing Sonic 1 over those other games is like choosing McDonald's over Five Guys.
Don't rag on Bubsy. Some of us liked those games. I'll admit, Bubsy 3D wasn't that good but it didn't kill the franchise altogether. There's a new Bubsy game out on Steam but I haven't been able to play it without it crashing to the desktop. The Bubsy games didn't have the same approach as Sonic so maybe that's why you didn't like it. They rely on more methodical play, looking before you leap.
You're only twenty years old? You're still a young, I was born in the 80's I remember when these game came out or new. Too bad you younggin's didn't get to live in the time when these games were life! lol
Ah Sonic 1, it has a very special place in my heart. As a newcomer I found the game REALLY hard, but now I can beat the game practically with my eyes shut, THAT is what Sonic is and should always be all about, cautious and methodical at first but then find yourself completing the game at break-neck speed through mastery. For me, sadly, the last game that ever had that same feel was Sonic Adventure DX, as the later games become more about sequenced Boss-fights or only about going fast.
34:18, he's not giving you the middle finger, he's giving you the two finger salute instead lol! Look at the sign ha ha ha!
don't get me wrong, this the best in-depth review of Sonic 1 yet
I absolutely love Sonic 1... it was my first Sonic game as a kid, playing it on Sonic Mega Collection Plus on PS2. It’s one of my most played games along with Sonic 2 thanks to the Christian Whitehead mobile ports and I know the level design pretty well after years of play... Yuji Naka was totally write when he said the more skill you have makes you more faster at the same. Without the spin dash, Sonic 1 is a unique game in the series as you really have to earn your speed, rather than trying to maintain it like in Sonic 2 (which I’ve admittedly played more, but still)
Excellent vid, but I would've added one thing. On the limited continues level select is an easy fix. For the special stages it's true that turning green hill into emerald Hill doesn't seem to matter to most, but the east way to get all emeralds is using said level select with the recent button. Even on the original that's a very fix.
Not to mention save states on most newer releases including the recent Sega Genesis Mini, or sonic mega collection or sonics ultimate Genesis collection, both of which were out when you made this.
Wow...I never knew that the original basis for Sonic's speed came from learning how one can complete a familiar stage quickly, rather than a drive to simply "go fast" which his name comes packaged with nowadays. Now I know that I wasn't playing these games "wrong" by exploring a lot, and I am now aware of how much more I can discover.
On the other end of the spectrum, I also enjoy hearing that limited visibility is still an issue despite the above fact. This let's me know that there isn't (or, at least, shouldn't be) anything necessarily wrong with deciding to go fast either, as long as I am not reckless.
I don't mind limited continues. If I'm dying that much, high chances are I've had enough at that point anyway.
A big problem with the first game that is fixed in the second and third is that around half the stages decide to go pure platforming rather than do the nice mixture of speed and platforming like Green Hill and Star Light, and Spring Yard Zone. Marble, and Labyrinth being the big examples where it's completely platforming and it is just boring especially with the water in Labyrinth. Sonic was never designed to be a platformer like Mario and Sega realized this after their first attempt which allowed Sonic 2 and 3 to become much more beloved and fun to play.
Excelent review, man! I thought that wasn't possible to talk so much and so in depth about Sonic 1, but you made it. Cheers!
Thanks, dude!
@18:00 When I 1st played Sonic 1, I did have trouble with marble zone (and the green hills zone boss for some reason). I did beat it eventually though but I did have an easier time when playing it on the Sonic classic collection as I had a D-pad (my 1st time playing Sonic 1 was on the mobile port).
IMO, Sonic on Genesis was about controlling your movement so that you can go fast.
The levels encourage speed if you are able to control yourself while going through them. I you went fast, but didn't have control of your movement, then you would end up on a slower path taking damage from enemies and hazards all the time. If you didn't go fast then the platforming became easy and the level less fun.
However, if you controlled your movement, you would end up on a fast top path where controlling your movement became harder, and if you messed up, you went down to a slower bottom path where movement control is easy, but it is slower and less fun. Learning to control your movement is what makes classic sonic fun to me. This was carried on in the game gear and advance games.
As for 3d sonic, movement control in 3d for too hard at the time, so they made more linear levels based on moving fast and light platforming to compensate, starting with Sonic Adventure, and improving and crucially restricting and steamlining the gameplay, with a few missteps until Sonic Generations where the fast running and intermediate platforming was about as good as it could get. This approach to sonic was carried over in the rush games and colors ds
Then we come to Sonic lost world, where they tried again to place the emphasis on controlling Sonic's movement, but went about it strangely with a run button and somehow linear multiple paths. Not a bad or even mediocre game, just a different one.
This, again IMO is what I think caused the three main rifts in the Sonic Fanbase, Classic Fans, Adventure Fans and Modern Fans.
Classic Fans enjoy the movement control base of the genesis games, where you control your movement so well that you go fast through a level which is why you often hear, speed was a reward, not a gimmick, as they see Sonic games as being as based on controlling the movement of Sonic for slick and speedy movement to achieve a high speed
Adventure Fans enjoy the speed of Adventure sonic, coupled with the light platforming they had to do quickly to keep speed up while going through generally linear levels, but not restrictive level design with control and a bit of freedom, which is why they see boost as a press to win button as it takes away the freedom that they felt, even through linearity
Modern Fans enjoy the speed of modern sonic, coupled with the light platforming. However, enjoy it being slimmed down to only that, instead of having more control and freedom, they like it streamlined and controlled with the boost making it so, which is why you hear them describe it as tight fast platforming as it is restricted to just that
20 years old, you're still just a kid! Enjoy that shit. Great series BTW. Here is hoping in 5 years life doesn't slap you hard like it did myself upon my mid twenties.
Is he still planning to still review the HD remakes of Sonic 1 and Sonic 2 ? I would love to see that review.
Helping with the new algorithm by commenting. Keep up the quality content
Very much appreciated, man! :D
No worries, just keep up good quality and you will continue to grow
39:36
That was actually a bug, not a feature
also, I've found the special stages really fun
and the arcade-like continues I actually like better than unlimited continues Like I always find Sonic 3 a little more boring because of that.
I didn't know Nardwaur reviewed games!
Seriously though great content. You just earned a sub
Are you gonna do Sonic 2? I wanna see you tear apart the half-pipe special stages!
I am, but it's likely not the next video.
Retropolis Zone Thanks for the reply! Don't rush your reviews, cause QUICKIES DON'T CUT IT!
**Groans**
The half-pipe stages are excellent and they are the best special stages the franchise has ever had.
Thank you for being informative and entertaining while I get my shitty lab write up for Hess's law and calorimetry done in chem right now!
Awesome video. That labyrinth zone drowning music gives me anxiety to this day.
This video inspired me to beat the game without dying. Now I can do that consistently.
Luckily the Sonic 1 mobile port allows widescreen, which does increase visibility quite a bit.
Am I the only one who uses the zone select code to only play the three goods levels if I don't feel like playing 2, 3 and Knuckles or Advance
Ever played the GBA version? If not, I would avoid it.
Great review dude but you need to do something about the music editing my guy, especially when your discussing the same stage. Listening to you talk about scrap brain zone and the music just randomly cuts to different parts of the track was sending me crazy. Other than that great work
Hey man, thanks! I usually use consistent background music, but since Sonic 1 has so few tracks, spreading them out over a 47 minute video wasn't really a great option. Usually the cutting points of the background audio don't bother me, but I'll see what I can do whenever I run into a game with not a lot of songs to put in. :)
Is it bad that I couldn't beat marble zone in sonic 1, but I could beat the whole game in somari?
until you accidentally crash into spikes or an enemy now i see the flaws in how such a person has played this gaem but dont give me a slide when you expect me to learn the levels before also dont take ALL of my rings and makem disappear very quick