27 replies to this topic

[Misk]

I liked Sonic and the Secret Rings.

 

And I adore Sonic Rush.

 

I liked Sonic Heroes.

 

I thought Sonic R was okay, if a little short and sort of clunky.

 

Sonic Drift was kind of weird, but I often found myself just playing the game for no reason, especially the sequel. Oh, how I adored running through Rainy Savannah and the Milky Way on time trial...

 

I've had Sonic 3D Blast (GEN) since I was very young, and I don't get why people say the controls are weird. Maybe it's because I've just played it so long, but I've adapted. I don't think it's a perfect game, but I strangely found it easy to just pick up and play through if I'm feeling bored for a few hours. Also I just love the soundtrack. I honestly think there are quite a few songs that are just better in the Genesis version as opposed to the Saturn/PC versions (Panic Puppet Act 2 and Volcano Valley Zone 2, strangely somber as that piece is, both come to mind). I don't think it's nostalgia blindness... I think maybe it's just I've played it so much that I know it so well that I can play it casually.

 

Spinball was a fun game, even it was nail-annihilatingly difficult. Plus it also was responsible for introducing me to pinball as a whole, a genre I now enjoy thoroughly.

 

 

 

 

...Also I thought Shadow was a decent game. (Don't shoot me yet let me explain). Yeah, the dialogue was...hilarious, but I found the controls solid, the replayability high, the differing story routes was cool, the level secrets were plentiful, and giving a name to all 326 possible routes through the game I thought was a nice touch.

 

I thought the controls were solid, I never had a problem with the gunplay, I thought the variety of weapons was sort of cool, though yeah probably you'll pick one type and just stick with it.

Is the "dark and edgy" factor forced? ...Yeah, but I don't see why that should ruin the experience for me if I find the rest of the game okay. I just kind of pretend that Shadow isn't part of the main series... because it isn't. It might have a story that ties in to the main storylines, but really, it's not part of the main series. It's something else.

 

For me at least, separating the game from the lighter main series helps me to enjoy it more. And...aren't the point of games to enjoy them?

 

 

 

 

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I have yet to run into a Sonic game that I truly hate or...really even dislike. Even 06 can be fun. It's by no means a good game and I won't defend it as I have the others on this list, but it's definitely one that's so bad it's good. At least to me. 06, I found, is best enjoyed with friends looking to goof off and make fun of stuff. And for that, 06 is a blast.

 

 

...Well, there was one game I didn't like very much, I suppose. Sonic and the Black Knight. And I really hesitate to say that because there was a lot in there that good.I liked the Arthurian take on things. The twist I thought was sort of cool. It was graphically pleasing to look at, and the soundtrack, I thought, was fantastic (though that sort of goes without saying, doesn't it?). Especially Molten Mine.

 

But I just could not get a grip on the sword controls at all. At all. And it made the game pretty much unplayable for me. It remains the only Sonic game I haven't beaten even once. Even 06 I powered through.

 

 

There, I've said it. Commence the obligatory accusations that I'm a "fanboy" or "nosalgia-blind"  or "not a true Sonic fan." I've been holding on to this for a long time and I just finally had to say it.

 

Spoiler

On the other hand, if you would like me to clarify why I like any of the games listed, I'd be more than happy to elaborate. Again, I just really needed to get this off my chest.

[Gremlin 24]

What we have here is a very honest person writing a very honest response to something they would probably get laughed out of on the Stadium forums.

 

If you could explain why you liked Secret Rings? the gameplay? story? music (obvious answer yes, 'cos who else is gonna rock the place)?  Me personally, all you'd have to say was "upgrade system" and I'd be on it. And i can't comment on later level design flaws, because after the "Rescue Sinbad" mission, the game keeps freezing. It is an old copy my friend didn't really look after that well after all.

 

And Sonic Rush is an OK game if you accept it for what it is, if you forget that Dimps copied the physics of Rush and used them for Sonic 4.

 

I can understand why you like Heroes, and to a certain extent Sonic R, i can't really comment on Drift, i can understand the hate for 3D Blast, being an "isometric" platformer. But i liked the level designs, music, graphics and what else.

 

Spinball, yeah, "Nail-Annihilating" is right. give me Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine anyday over that thing.

 

and 06, good lord, while it is an undefendable product that would still border on the line between mediocre and good if given all the time in the universe, I could gush about why I like 06 so much, like how some glitches are completely avoidable if you know what to do, like how fascinated I am at it's history, how Sega could rush it, how Yuji Naka could abandon it, how we're still taking about it after all this time because some people just need to forgive and forget and others just need something else to do with their lives, and how everything just collapses in on itself, but it collapses and stays a pile and it doesn't go "So bad it's terrible" by falling through the floor into the landlords private bed-time snuggle. Personally, I'd prefer an unpolished (seriously, I only ran into one glitch that forced me to restart a level. Man up, guys.) game that has a lot of good ideas and tries a few new things (like Fallout or Skyrim) rather than a game that's polished to complete and utter perfection and yet it still manages to be completely underwhelming either through uninspired content or other means (Mass Effect 2 or Sonic Lost World...)

 

I actually enjoyed Black Knights story. in fact, I'm part of a belief, if you'd call it, of people who think that the Storybook games were the ones that perfectly captured Sonic's personality as we see it, where they challenge what he believes in, where he is a nice and compassionate fellow and isn't portrayed as some Two-shoe sue, how he can still be a funny snark without descending into the Colours abyss of terrible one liners and copyright laws.

 

That's my 2 cents anyway. Also, if I can add a confession: Security Hall is part of the reason i prefer SA1 over SA2. I hated that level as a kid.

[LogiTeeka]

I'll give you credit; it takes a lot of guts to admit something like that on the internet.

For me, my personal favorite guilty-pleasure is "Sonic Unleashed". While the controls are a bit stiff and the story somewhat awkward, I love the game's atmosphere and design. In my opinion, it has the best hub-worlds ever featured in a Sonic game. I love exploring the towns and cities, conversing with the citizens, buying interesting souvenirs, and finding hidden walkways that lead to bonus levels. If anything, it's probably the most cultural game in the Sonic series.

[Misk]

If you could explain why you liked Secret Rings? the gameplay? story? music (obvious answer yes, 'cos who else is gonna rock the place)?  Me personally, all you'd have to say was "upgrade system" and I'd be on it. And i can't comment on later level design flaws, because after the "Rescue Sinbad" mission, the game keeps freezing. It is an old copy my friend didn't really look after that well after all.

Certainly. Gameplay was a fairly big factor. It's a bit awkward to get used to, but once I got the hang of it, I rather liked running full-tilt through the pretty levels. It was sort of like the prototype for the day stages of Unleashed. And I found the level design (the earlier stages especially) to be fairly enjoyable.

Also I did indeed like the upgrade system and the ability o have different loadouts. Though granted, I will say it was kind of...odd to have sharper control as two separate entries. That was a bizarre design choice, to be sure.

And....yeah, the music. Which I think is worth talking about because it's different from most modern Sonic games. It took a very different style, but one that I enjoyed quite a bit. There were more "hits" than misses to me than any other Sonic game in recent memory (The Palace That Was Found, Unawakening Float, How It Started...just a few of my favorites).

Also I liked the settings of the levels, and their designs. Night Palace, in fact, is probably one of my favorite levels in all of gaming in terms of aesthetics and sound. Flying the carpet outside the palace, the color scheme of the interior, and those dream-like space areas really left an impact on me.
 

And Sonic Rush is an OK game if you accept it for what it is, if you forget that Dimps copied the physics of Rush and used them for Sonic 4.

Well I had Rush since it came out in 05. Second DS game I ever owned, as a matter of fact. Long, long before Sonic 4 was even a concept. And I never really had a problem with the physics in Rush. I don't recall walking on any walls...

Also I adored the soundtrack for the same reasons I loved SatSR's (Wrapped in Black is a masterpiece, in my opinion).
 

I actually enjoyed Black Knights story. in fact, I'm part of a belief, if you'd call it, of people who think that the Storybook games were the ones that perfectly captured Sonic's personality as we see it, where they challenge what he believes in, where he is a nice and compassionate fellow and isn't portrayed as some Two-shoe sue, how he can still be a funny snark without descending into the Colours abyss of terrible one liners and copyright laws.

Well like I said, I even hesitate to say I dislike BK because there was actually a lot of stuff I did like, the story included (what I saw of it anyway. Also as mentioned before, it's the one game I never finished because of my aforementioned control issues). It's helped in part by the fact that I'm a fan of the Arthurian cycles, and I thought SatBK did a decent job "Sonic-izing" it.
 

That's my 2 cents anyway. Also, if I can add a confession: Security Hall is part of the reason i prefer SA1 over SA2. I hated that level as a kid.

I feel your pain on that one. Security Hall was a nightmare the first times through.

Though it's not the reason I prefer SA1 over 2. ...But to be honest I'm not sure what the reason actually is, myself.

[Misk]

I'll give you credit; it takes a lot of guts to admit something like that on the internet.

For me, my personal favorite guilty-pleasure is "Sonic Unleashed". While the controls are a bit stiff and the story somewhat awkward, I love the game's atmosphere and design. In my opinion, it has the best hub-worlds ever featured in a Sonic game. I love exploring the towns and cities, conversing with the citizens, buying interesting souvenirs, and finding hidden walkways that lead to bonus levels. If anything, it's probably the most cultural game in the Sonic series.

 

That's actually one I forgot to mention. I like Unleashed too, and not just the day stages (though I won't deny they're my favorite parts).

 

I liked even the Werehog sections a little. While the day stages had you blasting through the levels at mach whatever, the werehog stages slowed you down. While I can understand why some would call that a bad thing, on the other hand, I liked the slower pace of the levels as it let me absorb the scenery much more. Highlights for me include Chun-Nan, both versions, and Holoska's first stage in the Wii version. It was just...beautiful. But then again, I'm one of the strange people that actually like ice levels, so...

 

 

Another one I forgot was Sonic Riders. Riders was a hard, hard, very hard game, and I can see why people didn't like it too much. But once I learned how to perform tricks correctly, the best place to do them, and the necessity of shortcuts, I learned how to never run out of air and started having fun with the game.

[RedAuthar]

I also like Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonic 3D, Sonic R (well...somewhat...multiplayer is kinda fun), Spinball, and Drift.

 

If 2006 worked I'd like it, but when the game breaks it brings ya out real quick.

 

I didn't like Secret Rings's gameplay.  Storywise it's pretty good.

 

I kinda hate Unleashed.  But that doesn't mean I didn't like some parts of it. 

 

I love Sonic Rush.  Probably one of the best 2D games I've played on the DS system.  

 

 

Heck, I love games such as Star Fox Adventures, X-Men Destiny, and the like even though others seem to hate them.  

 

Just because a game is deemed to be bad, doesn't mean you can't find enjoyment in it. 

[ILOVEVHS]

The Sonic 4 "saga" is a guilty pleasure for me.

The only Sonic games I truly hate are Heroes and Shadow. I also have lost interest in Rush completely.

[TheRedStranger]

Guys I have confession to make.I'm...

 

  http://www.youtube.c...0F1fEQeWF8#t=12

[RedAuthar]

The only Sonic games I truly hate are Heroes and Shadow. I also have lost interest in Rush completely.

You know that is one of the truly tragic thing about Heroes.  Everyone seems to hate it for really no apparent reason than that it is generally disliked.  Even more tragic is though it is 3D game and features 3 Controllable characters, it plays the most like the 2D games fans had been asking for.  

[ILOVEVHS]

The only Sonic games I truly hate are Heroes and Shadow. I also have lost interest in Rush completely.

You know that is one of the truly tragic thing about Heroes.  Everyone seems to hate it for really no apparent reason than that it is generally disliked.  Even more tragic is though it is 3D game and features 3 Controllable characters, it plays the most like the 2D games fans had been asking for.

It's the control that ruins it for me. The controls are in my opinion, worse than Shadow.

[RedAuthar]

Never had trouble with the controls.

[Uncle Ben]

i liked Heroes.

 

The only Sonic game i dont like was '06.

[Misk]

Never had trouble with the controls.

 

Nor I. Maybe it depends on the console version?

[ILOVEVHS]

I had the Gamecube version.

[LogiTeeka]

Truth be told, I kinda liked "Sonic Heroes". Yeah, the controls were slippery and quite finicky at times (especially the pinball tables and special stages), the levels do drag for quite a while, and the voice acting varied from decent to downright awful; but overall, I still got enjoyment out of it. I love the atmosphere and level themes (sorta reminds me of the OVA) and I especially love the rocking soundtrack.

Overall, I can see where people dislike it. But personally, I'd play "Heroes" over "Shadow the Hedgehog" any-day. The overall tone of "Heroes" is something which I can identify and associate with the Sonic series. "Shadow", on the other hand, felt like a complete shark-jump. It was like someone took GTA/Resident Evil and modded it with Sonic characters. Something just didn't feel right.

Still, it makes me wonder what their original plans were, back when both games were originally planned to be SA3. Had it not been for that stupid notion that "only retro gamers would buy the title", we'd probably would've gotten a totally different game than what we ended up getting. (That, and if Sony didn't force them into changing the entire engine so that it could be ported to the Playstation 2.)

[RedAuthar]

I had the Gamecube version.

So do. Must be your controller

[ILOVEVHS]

I enjoyed Shadow more than Heroes, but not by much.

[ZanetheWolf]

I FUCKING LOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE SONIC 06. That's probably in my top 5 favorite video games, if not just Sonic games.

[Uncle Ben]

I FUCKING LOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE SONIC 06. That's probably in my top 5 favorite video games, if not just Sonic games.

 

[ILOVEVHS]

I FUCKING LOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE SONIC 06. That's probably in my top 5 favorite video games, if not just Sonic games.

You had such potenial, Zane.