System: Sega Genesis
Released: 1993
... Yeah, I know you were expecting a certain sequel that took place on a certain floating island but I'm going by release dates for those reviews, so for now we get... um, pinball. A rather interesting game, really. Usually a pinball simulator is just that, pinball on a monitor screen, but here it's a platformer with stages set up as pinball machines. A pretty unique idea, but does it hold up? Let's take a look.
Story:
The game opens up to a pretty nice cut-scene of Sonic riding with Tails on his Tornado plane flying to Mt. Mobius (... hmm...), a mountain that has been overrun by Dr. Robotnik. He's once again turning animals into metal, and our heroes plan to put a stop to it... That is until a battle breaks out in the sky and Sonic is knocked into the ocean below, washing up in the Toxic Caves, and so it begins.
More of the same, but this time it really feels like they put an effort in showing the viewer the story. A nice touch.
Score:
out of Design:
There are four stages here, Toxic Caves, Lava Powerhouse, Machine, and Showdown. A bit of a let down compared to the number of stages in the last two. Though, the point of these levels isn't to get through them as fast as possible, but to explore around, collect the 16 Chaos Emeralds (... continuity, what's that?) scattered through the stages and locate and destroy the boss in each level. In the first three stages, you get to take on a type of special stage, but in the form of... You guessed it, pinball. Fun fact, in two of the stages you have to rescue your friends, some of which are based of characters from the 1993 cartoon series "Sonic the Hedgehog", making their only appearance in an official title to date. Actually, this pinball concept was adapted in the very same show and even found it's way in the comics.
A clever idea, though personally it can get a little boring exploring the levels and at points I didn't even know where to go.
Score:
out of Gameplay:
It's pinball... WITH A TWIST! As you can probably piece together, Sonic takes the role of the ball as he is catapulted by bumpers and badniks all around the stages, and all the while you help direct where the blue one is heading. The concept is interesting in itself, but the level design is just all over the place. Maybe it's just me and I don't have the brain power or the patience to figure out how to navigate though this thing. Another problem, though minor, is Sonic's controls when he's on his two feet. The controls there feel stiff and slow, though once you get to the nearest spring launch, it's all good. Interesting concept, just needs some more tweaking for my taste.
Score:
out of Presentation:
One thing I will defend are visuals. I love the look of this game, and while the levels are a bit on the confusing side, the mechanical nightmare approach really gives life to the levels, along with the robots you have to take on. For example, the screen shot above is of a boss fight were sonic has to stop a Robotizer from turning the animals into machines (while having to fight whatever comes out of it), and once you save the animals you destroy the machine from the inside out. Pretty creative. Though, it would have been a nice contrast to have some lighter looking level designs, such as something based off Green Hill or Emerald Hill. The music on the other hand is a mix bag for me. Some of music is pretty catchy, such as the title screen, while other tracks sound a bit muddled, and after awhile it can get rather annoying.
Score:
out of Overall:
This game could have been pretty good, but the levels are just tedious and frustrating. Maybe it's just me, the controls needed some work, and the levels are a bit on the confusing side and in the end the experience just isn't all that enjoyable. This just makes me wish I was playing a real pinball machine.
Score:
out of
