I disagree about the mech sections. While it is true they borrow a lot from Eternal Engine, Lost Colony, and Crazy Gadget, there are still some unique geometry present. Such as, the curved hallways, the trap room just before the first door room, the acid block room, and the door rooms themselves. Also, yes there were most likely time constraints, as originally, the only playable characters were Sonic, Knuckles, and Eggman (Hence, why they have more upgrades.).
Good analysis! I do have to disagree with your opinion on the reuse of assets on Tails and Eggman's sections, as its their job to open the security doors to the eclipse cannon chamber, so it makes sense to me that it just looks like the ARK since they never actually get near the cannon's chamber itself I do agree that Sonic's section could have been more, but I think what it lacks in gameplay, it makes up for in spectacle with Eggman telling Sonic that it's all up to him, narrowly avoiding the artificial Chaos' tendrils, and the callback to Lost World at the end with the water slide That being said, still a great video
This is a great video with very valid opinions with well-reasoned points that most people would agree with, but… I completely disagree. I absolutely love Cannon’s Core. The purple aesthetic in the mech stages is my favorite ARK color theming (and I like how the stage’s colors get redder, going from purple, to orange, to red). The time switches add a lot of variety to the gameplay, and I like how you need to skillfully time their usage. But more importantly, they thematically represent the race against time and how the characters are trying to halt the countdown to oblivion. Tails’ portion introduces the time mechanic quite well, skillfully establishing their applications to the player. The moving blocks in the Eggman portion is my favorite mech challenge in the game. Rouge’s section makes good use of the climbing and gliding mechanics. Knuckles’ challenge makes good use of the swimming mechanics. And Sonic’s section is just the thrilling homestretch the literally funnels you into the climax with a lot of momentum. I agree that it would have been cool if Sonic’s section was a bit longer, even if not that much harder. I would have enjoyed some more grinding or maybe even a semi-automated ARK loopty loop, just one more triumphant display in the mad-dash to the finish. But as a kid, I definitely felt that the stage was already plenty long enough and that Sonic’s section had enough perils to make me feel accomplished and satisfied when I reached the goal ring.
I really enjoyed Cannon’s core, was a great level especially having every character apart from Shadow playable in the level in it, yes Knuckles section is hard if you don’t have the breath under water necklace ! I think it is odd that we haven’t had a level where all characters come together to save the day since Sonic 06 !
All they had to do to make this work was separate the areas. They made it feel like it was a baton pass. Each person getting through one part of a sequential zone. But if they had started with Tails opening up the area Rouge hits a switch in, then done Rouge to flood the area Knuckles would end up in and made that a different area entirely, and then had Eggman come in after that to open up the area Rouge flooded so Knuckles could get into it, all to open the area for Sonic to deliver the emeralds to, then without changing any level design, it would have felt more like them all working in a way that required them all to come in in several teams like this. Also, on the not of it looking like Eternal Engine, up until Rouge's section, that's because all the space levels take place on the same space colony, so of course they all look the same. Tails and Eggman are fighting through the defenses to get to the core for everyone else, which is why after them it looks different, because now you're in the core.
Analysis isn't easy (as I can see that your other ranking videos are probably a lot easier to make than this one!), but I think you did a good job given its your first time. You are right that this stage doesn't get talked about much, its strange, which is why I think this is a good idea for a video essay and why I watched the whole thing. What's weird is that my gut reaction is to say that I really liked this stage when I first played it, but then I realized that, like you, I almost never replay it! Its a cool story set piece, but not so good of a level to replay in a vacuum. Though to play devil's advocate...I could say that about most of SA2's stages...I think the miffed potential ironically works here because they were trying to do something different for the finale that wouldn't take too much effort...that's why Sonic's section is so short and full of trippy visuals...they were trying to sell you an emotion rather than make a super well designed level...that's sort of the point I think... SA2 is a weird flawed game, but its commitment to its theme is why its celebrated so much, making good use out of what's very clearly SA1 but with a lot of changes made to mix up what that game tried to do 3 years earlier. I've said it multiple times that I think SA1 is the better game but SA2 is the better experience...if that makes any sense... I'd like to see more of this! I'd even encourage you to explore outside your comfort zone a bit and try analyzing other games, if you can obviously, you might surprise yourself by what you uncover in the process! :D
Played this level as a child on the Dreamcast…it wasn’t until I was an adult that I discovered the Air Necklace was a power up in the game at all…the amount of times I had to watch Knuckles drown because my play through never naturally led me to the power up was UNGODLY 😂 but damnit, I STILL BEAT THE GAME WITHOUT IT 😁😁😁
You know, you really made a good point as to how Cannon's Core doesn't really get talked about. At all. For how much discussion and discourse SA1 and 2 get, it's very underplayed. And that's probably for a reason.
I havent played this game in many years but when I did I remember I didnt get the Air Necklace and the Knuckles section of CC was soooo stressful for me because of it. Why didnt I get the Air Necklace you ask? Because I was terrified of those extremely creepy ghosts that would jump scare me when I least expect it in like 3 of the Knuckles levels (and I think Egg Quarters for Rogue had them too to a minor degree) and I just wanted to hurry and finish the stages ASAP. I swear NOBODY seems to ever talk about those ghosts. Sure in like Pyramid Cave there are ghosts that look real creepy but they dont jump scare you. Everyone just seems to act like they dont exist when talking about those levels. Guess Im just unique like that. Lol
Those ghosts are SO annoying!!! (Im talking about the ones who jumpscare you. Unless you activate the trigger, without being close to it... or you are in the air before the trigger happens. You cant move the character for like 2 seconds! The reason why i find this annoying... is when Im trying to speedrun the treasure levels. (Oh, and the trigger obviously does nothing if you are gliding when it happens.) Anyways, that IS definitely questionable. I wonder if they are videos(or topics online) discussing about this. Anyways... I found one of those ghosts in Egg Quarters (there is 1 at the platform. The platform where the Mystic Melody object is.) Also, there is one near a crusher (in a very small area), in either Death Chamber or Egg Quarters
the normal boos really never bothered me, the only one to actually creep me out is the beady-eyed boom boo with the stitched mouth, but you don't see those too often
The ghosts had me absolutely BITCH MADE back in the day. A ghost changed its whole vertex & literally chased me up a WALL in Aquatic Mine's ghost room. They're probably the most dedicated AI in the game, & it's absolutely insane (if you're in the vicinity of Church Mountain in Pumpkin Hill, there's a ghost that will legitimately fall from the top, & all the way down to your location just to try to slap you, & if he falls in the pit, if you turn the camera while gliding & look extremely closely, you can see a very small faint white dot following you at rapid pace until it disappears, & it also applies to the guy at the bottom of the mountain too). Nonetheless I beat the level but I was just so blown away by what I had witnessed that I managed to reach & complete Pyramid Cave while completely mentally paralyzed. I couldn't even express any form of fear when I saw 'em there, I was THAT over it. Ironically enough it was their king that got me over it. He looks goofy as hell meanwhile his minions look like an actual threat.
I thought canons core was amazing. They had my favorite stage sections for all the characters, but the only problem is that Sonic's part is too short. Other than that, I love it.
Let's be real. That's literally every Sonic stage. Mech is a drawn-out tinnitus simulator. Emeral hunting is an ovely spacious RNG crapshoot compared to SA1 and feels thrown in just to justify having Knuckles shoehorned in. About half this game's stages are simply not good.
That specific clip is about 1.5 to 2 weeks old, so I can only guess. I *want* to say I was stupidly trying to bounce off the floor and hit the two gun hunters, so I'd get 200 points for technically destroying all three in a chain.
I wouldve liked cannons core if they were separate stages but unlike switching styles in heroes, it doesnt really work in sa2. The different gameplay designs dont mesh well when youre switching between all of them imo
I disagree about the mech sections. While it is true they borrow a lot from Eternal Engine, Lost Colony, and Crazy Gadget, there are still some unique geometry present. Such as, the curved hallways, the trap room just before the first door room, the acid block room, and the door rooms themselves. Also, yes there were most likely time constraints, as originally, the only playable characters were Sonic, Knuckles, and Eggman (Hence, why they have more upgrades.).
I think it's incredible that this stage got made at all, given that while sonic team were working hard in the US, SEGA was burning around them.
Good analysis! I do have to disagree with your opinion on the reuse of assets on Tails and Eggman's sections, as its their job to open the security doors to the eclipse cannon chamber, so it makes sense to me that it just looks like the ARK since they never actually get near the cannon's chamber itself
I do agree that Sonic's section could have been more, but I think what it lacks in gameplay, it makes up for in spectacle with Eggman telling Sonic that it's all up to him, narrowly avoiding the artificial Chaos' tendrils, and the callback to Lost World at the end with the water slide
That being said, still a great video
Great video man! Loving the SA2 content!
Good 👍 job
All AAAAA stage you are the masterpiece
Sonic aventure 2 is the best game of franchise live and learn
Amazing decoration of cannons core I would love to see more videos like this
This is a great video with very valid opinions with well-reasoned points that most people would agree with, but…
I completely disagree. I absolutely love Cannon’s Core. The purple aesthetic in the mech stages is my favorite ARK color theming (and I like how the stage’s colors get redder, going from purple, to orange, to red). The time switches add a lot of variety to the gameplay, and I like how you need to skillfully time their usage. But more importantly, they thematically represent the race against time and how the characters are trying to halt the countdown to oblivion.
Tails’ portion introduces the time mechanic quite well, skillfully establishing their applications to the player.
The moving blocks in the Eggman portion is my favorite mech challenge in the game.
Rouge’s section makes good use of the climbing and gliding mechanics.
Knuckles’ challenge makes good use of the swimming mechanics.
And Sonic’s section is just the thrilling homestretch the literally funnels you into the climax with a lot of momentum.
I agree that it would have been cool if Sonic’s section was a bit longer, even if not that much harder. I would have enjoyed some more grinding or maybe even a semi-automated ARK loopty loop, just one more triumphant display in the mad-dash to the finish. But as a kid, I definitely felt that the stage was already plenty long enough and that Sonic’s section had enough perils to make me feel accomplished and satisfied when I reached the goal ring.
Thank you for your kind words, and I appreciate your perspective!
Going from earth to space is commonly used progression because it's exciting. I do love cannons core
I really enjoyed Cannon’s core, was a great level especially having every character apart from Shadow playable in the level in it, yes Knuckles section is hard if you don’t have the breath under water necklace ! I think it is odd that we haven’t had a level where all characters come together to save the day since Sonic 06 !
The final boss in Sonic Forces is that.
I like cannons core, I want an extended cannons core
All they had to do to make this work was separate the areas. They made it feel like it was a baton pass. Each person getting through one part of a sequential zone. But if they had started with Tails opening up the area Rouge hits a switch in, then done Rouge to flood the area Knuckles would end up in and made that a different area entirely, and then had Eggman come in after that to open up the area Rouge flooded so Knuckles could get into it, all to open the area for Sonic to deliver the emeralds to, then without changing any level design, it would have felt more like them all working in a way that required them all to come in in several teams like this.
Also, on the not of it looking like Eternal Engine, up until Rouge's section, that's because all the space levels take place on the same space colony, so of course they all look the same. Tails and Eggman are fighting through the defenses to get to the core for everyone else, which is why after them it looks different, because now you're in the core.
I get the aesthetic choice from an "in-universe" perspective. Personally, I'd rather the spectacle of a grand finale over the realistic aspect of it.
Analysis isn't easy (as I can see that your other ranking videos are probably a lot easier to make than this one!), but I think you did a good job given its your first time. You are right that this stage doesn't get talked about much, its strange, which is why I think this is a good idea for a video essay and why I watched the whole thing.
What's weird is that my gut reaction is to say that I really liked this stage when I first played it, but then I realized that, like you, I almost never replay it! Its a cool story set piece, but not so good of a level to replay in a vacuum. Though to play devil's advocate...I could say that about most of SA2's stages...I think the miffed potential ironically works here because they were trying to do something different for the finale that wouldn't take too much effort...that's why Sonic's section is so short and full of trippy visuals...they were trying to sell you an emotion rather than make a super well designed level...that's sort of the point I think...
SA2 is a weird flawed game, but its commitment to its theme is why its celebrated so much, making good use out of what's very clearly SA1 but with a lot of changes made to mix up what that game tried to do 3 years earlier. I've said it multiple times that I think SA1 is the better game but SA2 is the better experience...if that makes any sense...
I'd like to see more of this! I'd even encourage you to explore outside your comfort zone a bit and try analyzing other games, if you can obviously, you might surprise yourself by what you uncover in the process! :D
Played this level as a child on the Dreamcast…it wasn’t until I was an adult that I discovered the Air Necklace was a power up in the game at all…the amount of times I had to watch Knuckles drown because my play through never naturally led me to the power up was UNGODLY 😂 but damnit, I STILL BEAT THE GAME WITHOUT IT 😁😁😁
You know, you really made a good point as to how Cannon's Core doesn't really get talked about. At all. For how much discussion and discourse SA1 and 2 get, it's very underplayed. And that's probably for a reason.
Cannons core represents the entirety of the game really well. Its good bit is the smallest and shortest part, which is drowned out in a messy slog.
I havent played this game in many years but when I did I remember I didnt get the Air Necklace and the Knuckles section of CC was soooo stressful for me because of it. Why didnt I get the Air Necklace you ask? Because I was terrified of those extremely creepy ghosts that would jump scare me when I least expect it in like 3 of the Knuckles levels (and I think Egg Quarters for Rogue had them too to a minor degree) and I just wanted to hurry and finish the stages ASAP. I swear NOBODY seems to ever talk about those ghosts. Sure in like Pyramid Cave there are ghosts that look real creepy but they dont jump scare you. Everyone just seems to act like they dont exist when talking about those levels. Guess Im just unique like that. Lol
Those ghosts are SO annoying!!! (Im talking about the ones who jumpscare you. Unless you activate the trigger, without being close to it... or you are in the air before the trigger happens.
You cant move the character for like 2 seconds!
The reason why i find this annoying... is when Im trying to speedrun the treasure levels.
(Oh, and the trigger obviously does nothing if you are gliding when it happens.)
Anyways, that IS definitely questionable. I wonder if they are
videos(or topics online) discussing about this.
Anyways... I found one of those ghosts in Egg Quarters (there is 1 at the platform. The platform where the Mystic Melody object is.)
Also, there is one near a crusher (in a very small area), in either Death Chamber or Egg Quarters
the normal boos really never bothered me, the only one to actually creep me out is the beady-eyed boom boo with the stitched mouth, but you don't see those too often
The ghosts had me absolutely BITCH MADE back in the day. A ghost changed its whole vertex & literally chased me up a WALL in Aquatic Mine's ghost room. They're probably the most dedicated AI in the game, & it's absolutely insane (if you're in the vicinity of Church Mountain in Pumpkin Hill, there's a ghost that will legitimately fall from the top, & all the way down to your location just to try to slap you, & if he falls in the pit, if you turn the camera while gliding & look extremely closely, you can see a very small faint white dot following you at rapid pace until it disappears, & it also applies to the guy at the bottom of the mountain too). Nonetheless I beat the level but I was just so blown away by what I had witnessed that I managed to reach & complete Pyramid Cave while completely mentally paralyzed. I couldn't even express any form of fear when I saw 'em there, I was THAT over it. Ironically enough it was their king that got me over it. He looks goofy as hell meanwhile his minions look like an actual threat.
Considering Sonic already got more stages than anyone else I think it’s totally fair for his section to be the shortest.
I thought canons core was amazing. They had my favorite stage sections for all the characters, but the only problem is that Sonic's part is too short. Other than that, I love it.
The only thing I dislike is how short Sonic’s section is
Let's be real. That's literally every Sonic stage. Mech is a drawn-out tinnitus simulator. Emeral hunting is an ovely spacious RNG crapshoot compared to SA1 and feels thrown in just to justify having Knuckles shoehorned in. About half this game's stages are simply not good.
Well done! I agree, Sonic played less than the superstar status he deserves.
19:33 why the hell would you do that
That specific clip is about 1.5 to 2 weeks old, so I can only guess.
I *want* to say I was stupidly trying to bounce off the floor and hit the two gun hunters, so I'd get 200 points for technically destroying all three in a chain.
I wouldve liked cannons core if they were separate stages but unlike switching styles in heroes, it doesnt really work in sa2.
The different gameplay designs dont mesh well when youre switching between all of them imo
Its cool as part of the story. But needed a more interesting speed section and better missions.
It is bad... like the game