First and Best? Sonic 1 on the Game Gear
Вставка
- Опубліковано 2 жов 2024
- To start everything off at Super Gear Land, we're going back to the beginning of the iconic blue dude with a 'tude - but it's not what you think. While the legendary platformer Sonic the Hedgehog launched on the Genesis, another title with the same name but a completely different development team was released on Sega's Game Boy competitor - the Game Gear. Sonic 1 is considered by some to be the best on the system, despite being the very first of a long line of vintage portable Sonic games. So is it any good? Let's dive into this retro gaming classic and see if it's worth picking up and playing over three decades later.
Despite having a Game Gear as a kid (the blue one that came with The Lion King) and being huge into Sonic, I never played the first GG Sonic until I got it as an unlockable in Sonic Adventure DX on GameCube. I'm honestly surprised how well it still holds up, and I do go back to it every once in a while.
Also, I distinctly remember, as a kid, getting a Sonic the Hedgehog Card Game from Mattel, and it had cards for Sonic, Robotnik, Shields, Rings, etc, but also had Zone cards. However, kid me was super confused when the Zone cards had names like Sky Base and Jungle Zone. "These aren't in the game. Why'd they just make up new zones?" turns out, for some reason, Mattel had based the card game on the Game Gear version xD
Have to admit I kinda like Labyrinth Zone and all the other slower paced Sonic 1 stages.
They play more like a traditional platformer and Sonics physic in Sonic 1 allows him to do the split between fast and slow gameplay without even noticing it.
Never had any problems to make my jumps in these zones and I like the slow down to get more from the environment, more atmospheric I guess?
Marble Zone is one of my favourite zones through all of Sonics history, would love to see it back since I grow tired of Green Hill and also the music is really good in Marble Zone too.
Sonic isn't always about speed, many levels (especially in Sonic 1) can prove that. It's about momentum and an understanding of the physics like in Mario too, the Sonic physics just allow him to go faster than Mario but he doesn't have to be faster any time. "Normal" platforming can be really fun too with Sonics earlier physics, but the Speed was the selling point in commercials so I kinda see where the assumption, Sonic is always about speed, comes from. Sonic was always a good platformer too, people just have to play the stages differently to appreciate that.
Cool fun fact: In the Sonic 1 Genesis Prototype there are unused level tiles that have the same border tiles as the underwater sections in S1 8-bit's version of Green Hill, implying the Genesis version also had those kind of underwater sections at one point!
Another cool fun fact: Bridge's music SLAPS!!
Bridge music was sampled in a Janet Jackson song, I think a lot of fans are familiar with that bit of trivia
the credits music was also sampled in unleashed
Bit wait, theres more!
The "Press Start Button" is in the 8bit game which is missing (by error) in Genesis version. Marble Zone track is unused in 8bit Sonic along with Bat Brain badnik- both still in the ROM. The 8-bit labyrinth zone curved brick background is seen in Genesis prototype labyrinth zone too. Sonic "sings" in the 8bit ending which appears to be based on the scrapped Genesis idea of him being in a band.
The BGM for Bridge Zone was actually sampled by Janet Jackson for one of her songs. Personally, I don't blame'er for doing it, it's still surprisingly a good melody.
This has an early Video Game Historian vibe. I like this a lot. I hope you keep doing this despite the early hurdles. Hopefully the shorts help with the audience. I know it worked on me! To be this good takes SEGA AGES
Good video, I thought you'd have more subs. Someone probably mentioned this, but Scrap Brain Zone is also in Sonic 1 Genesis.
In this age of UA-cam pushing eCelebs and mediocre content really hard, it's such a nice change of pace to see a video with less than 200 views. This was a decent review. I think there's actually an auto-scroller level in Sonic Lost World for Wii U (according to a close friend of mine who played through all the main series Sonic games in order recently). I find it really weird how Scrap Brain Zone isn't the final level in this version of the game. I might play this game sometime, but when I next go back to Sonic 1, I want to get the good ending on the Genesis version just so I can say "I did it." I wish you luck with this channel.
To me this game is nostalgia greatness and probably my hands down favour sonic game for the GG however Triple Trouble is my other favourite! Great video. However i always had trouble with jungle boss and would have like only one life left and died in labyrinth zone eventually! I loved the music and art work just overall so much fun
This was my first video game back in 1995. I got it in my 5th birthday, October 20th. But I played it on the Master System instead, and it always irks me that people remember it as a Game Gear game rather than a Master System one. That aside, it is the game that made me love platformers, and platformers are still my favorite genre 27 years later. Sonic 1 8-bit doesn't have the best level design, or visuals, or performance, but it is a solid charming game.
That first boss being super easy is actually due to the resolution. This Sonic 1 was designed for the Master System and then ported to Game Gear. Eggman is supposed to be flying too high for you to hit him, and then he'll swoop down to try to get you with that contact damage. But since the sprites are the same size with a smaller screen resolution, the boss is a joke.
Also, unfortunately Sonic Forces also had an auto-scrolling segment during the final Classic Sonic level, which is even weirder because there are these really fun spinny circular things you can use to fling yourself like the spinny gear lookin things in the Genesis version of Scrap Brain Zone, but since the screen moves so slowly you can't have fun rolling on them and then jumping off to launch yourself using your momentum.
PLEASE keep making videos, become for the Game Gear what Pandamonium is for the Saturn, these are so good
a great first video 👍 i am very interested for your future videos
What I'm going to say is something Sonic fans might not like:
On Genesis/Megadrive, running with Sonic only works on videos 🤣
You have the option to run, but the games don't have level design
Every time you start running you get hurt in unpredictable dangers
For this reason, for the fact that in 8bit Sonic is less fast,
most Master/Gear games are BETTER than Genesis/Megadrive 🦔
Immediately subbed. I was also a kid in the 90s who had a game gear and that was my first foray into Sonic as a Super Nintendo owner as well.
This might be the first Sonic game I beat, on mega collection plus in 2017 or 18, I used to like it more than the Genesis version, but I'd have to replay both to say if I still think that
Bought all of them on steam, played and liked 4, will get to gens after mega man legends 2
Aaah, this and GG Shinobi were my jam back then, Ancient and Yuzo Koshiro ftw!
The cinematography of this is well done, and the way you present yourself is very good. I'm subbing, because i want to see where you go! Good job!
i just did the same thing. I've always had sonic 2 but knew eventually would need 1 for the collection. Found it for $8 and like he said, its a great game
I like your presentation and style. I'm subbing.
Recently played sonic 1 game gear. Enjoyed it. It's a fun time.
If you get all the emeralds they transform the island at the end.
The Sonic 1 Game Gear version was a port of the Master System version, if I recall.
I could never find the first Sonic game for the Game Gear. I preferred Sonic Chaos.
Hmmm, seems you forgot that Scrap Brain is also in Sonic 1 Genesis.
To me the first sonic on GameGear and SEGA are the real original Sonics the rest are all overrated
My nan had this on an old Sega Master System. I never managed to get any further than the Jungle Zone
This is actually my 2nd favorite 2D Sonic game behind Sonic 2 (the 16-BIT one) because of its vibrant graphics, great music and fun gameplay. And also this was the first game I ever finished, like ever!
@@v1nag3r I Struggled so hard with it. Although, I've seen fan remakes of it that look really good. I wonder if I could download them to a PS VITA to play on the go or something
Nice use of the unused marble zone music!
You’re the next best thing bro I feel it! I’m shocked that you only have over 5k subs you should have about 500,000 subs in my opinion. Keep up the great content bro 👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿
I have a theory that after sonic 1 for the game gear labyrinth zone being so close to scrap brain chemicals leaked in and caused that part of the labyrinth to turn grey and become the 3rd act of scrap brain
Great review. You just got a subscriber
Oh boy loving seeing the Game Gear again
Great video. Subscribed. Keep on!
really nice video! I enjoyed it!
Man, I loved my Game Gear
Sonic 1 8-bit was the last game released for the Master System in North America - every Master System game after that (many of which were re-coded as Game Gear games for North American release, like Vampire: Master of Darkness) was from either Europe or Brazil.
You needed a GameGear as something to see at night in a car?
What were you doing in a car at night at such frequency that the GameGear served a perfect companion piece? lol
I remember playing a Sonic game on the Sega Game Gear that had a giant pit that led to nothing but death.
Do u think we can ever do a collabe talking about the bests of sonic 3
The jungle is WAY harder on the mastersystem
LOVED this as a kid.