Sonic The Hedgehog CD

[...]

Sonic The Hedgehog CD. A game made during the early years of the Classic Era. The project was directed by Sonic creator, Naoto Oshima, and was created and developed by Sonic Team in Japan. The game was in development during the time Sonic The Hedgehog 2 was being developed by the Sega Technical Institute in America. It is considered one of the best Sonic games by many, even praised over Sonic 3 & Knuckles in some places. When originally released in September of 1993 for the Mega CD, it was different from the 2 Genesis Sonic titles that came before it. There is CD quality music, more expansive zones, a new move for Sonic, an animated FMV intro, and a time travel gimmick. This game also introduced Amy Rose & Metal Sonic, which are today well-known characters in the franchise.

I still to this day love this game, and it remains as my favorite Classic Sonic game, and one of my favorite videogames overall. The soundtrack (though I prefer the JP/EU version) is a joy to listen to, and you could listen to some of the tunes all day. This is also the first Sonic game to introduce vocal tracks. I love all of them, my personal favorites would be You Can Do Anything & Sonic Boom. CD also has a fantastic art direction, a mix of anime and the Genesis games. The time travel gimmick is the biggest part of the game. You pass through different signs around the zone, and run as fast as you can for an amount of time to go in a different point in time. (Back To The Future anyone?) These are Past, Present, Good Future, & Bad Future. Each point of time in each zone looks vastly different from each other. The Past includes more primitive and prehistoric settings, The Present showing the zone in it's present state, The Good Future showing the zone uniting with technology, mostly in an eco-friendly way. The Bad Future shows how Eggman took over the zone in the future.The game reminds me of a Sonic 1 on the Mega CD. But bigger and better. The zones also are similar to most Sonic 1 zones.

It's basically this:

Palmtree Panic = Green Hill Zone

Collision Chaos = Spring Yard Zone

Tidal Tempest = Labyrinth Zone

Quartz Quadrant = Mystic Cave Zone (???)

Wacky Workbench = (????)

Stardust Speedway = Star Light Zone

Metallic Madness = Scrap Brain Zone

I find the game very addictive, and I still play the game on my Android and PS3. I literally will never get tired of playing this game. It just has this charm that just keeps me going to it again and again. It's basically Sonic 1 on crack, and I love it.

With that aside, what are your opinions on Sonic CD as a whole? What do you like and dislike about the game? Has it aged well? What did the remake do better than the original?

Discuss anything generally about Sonic CD.

(p.s. i freakin love the special stages in this game)

Edited July 11, 2012 by Felix

[Nepenthe]

I've played both the PC version when I was younger, but I couldn't get past the first level. I chalked that up to inexperience as a gamer and tried the Mega Collection port out of curiosity for the hype, and it quickly became my least favorite classic game. It's that claustrophobic level design and those physics; they feel like some strange bastardization of Sonic 1's system, restricting the way Sonic behaves and making the game a whole lot more frustrating than it inherently should be, so I never felt like I should have "played it with the right mindset" or "approached it differently"; the movement coupled with that level design was just flat-out terrible to me, and the fact that Taxman essentially redid the physics system validates this in a way. At most, I can say I hold an appreciation for the Japanese soundtrack and of course the opening, but that's really it.

[Tornado]

Me and Sonic CD have an interesting past. I absolutely love the atmosphere. The love and care put into the game's design is unmatched in the series. You can feel it. This goes from the artwork to the level themes to the game progression to the general ideas (the time travel mechanic was absolutely brilliant, and I really like the puzzle bosses) to the cutscenes to the music (yes, both soundtracks). And the special stages, as much of an extended tech demo that they could be argued to be, are still great to play and really clever (seriously never understood why everyone hated them so much).

And at the same time there wasn't an aspect of how it played that I didn't absolutely loathe. It controlled like shit. The physics were absolutely awful. It did things differently from Sonic 2 simply for the sake of being different. There was no rhyme or reason to Sonic's movements. And it's sad, because it absolutely ruins some of the ideas in the game. The time travel aspect requires memorization of the levels and working your way around the design, and it's impossible to do effectively when the game has such wonky jump mechanics. And the pinball stages... god. They are almost as bad as the ones in Sonic Heroes.

And then the remake fixed all of those problems. And it was good.

Edited July 10, 2012 by Gilda

[Balding Spider]

I'm proud to say that CD was and continues to be my very favorite Sonic game. I love everything from the unusual but addictive music, too the colorful and creative zones.That said it does have it's share of issues for me, most notably being the underwhelming bosses.

Edited July 10, 2012 by Balding Spider

[Old dead account]

Definitelly my favorite Sonic game, tied with S3&K after Christian Whitehead's remake. The two soundtracks give it sort of 2 atmospheres and it's great to have both of them available there. The levels are fun to explore with the time travel to search for that robot and the metal sonic holograms, I just wish they would have given you a reason to go to the future aside from just to view the scenery depending on whether you made a good future or not, but eitherway it gives you a way to create some fun challenges fir yourself. Maybe if you just get through the levels without doing anything extra you won't have as much fun. This is really the only Sonic game I can think of where there's any real backtracking and that makes it all the better. Only complaints I have is the insanely easy final boss (that could easily be fixed with DLC) and this isn't really a complaint but it did create the rather useless super peelout, the most overglorified move in the entire series, on par with the overglorification of SOAP shoes. But other than that I have nothing to complain about. 10/10 game. Of course this is based the 2011 version that fixes most of the issues and adds Tails.

Edited July 10, 2012 by Prince Solaris

[Semi-colon e]

Sonic CD is pretty much the natural progression if Sonic 1 went in a different direction to how Sonic 2 did.

It's often convoluted and sometimes levels are annoying as all shit (Metallic Madness 2 and Wacky Workbench outside of the Good Future spring to mind), but the aesthetics are so awesome. The 2011 remake just made it even more of a favourite, finally having both soundtracks (still prefer US version though!), and Tails as well. The Special Stages are bitchy sometimes and the bosses are a bit weak, but it's a classic game and the different time frames and ease of exploration keep me coming back tot his, as does it's unique, surreal style.

Collision Chaos is actually my favourite zone in the game, the US music is so trancey and it's one of the few pinball zones that doesn't have the overdone casino theme. It's so trippy and beautiful, especially in the Good Future.

There's not a lot else I can add, only that the 2011 remake improves it so much, especially compared to the somewhat meh port in Gems Collection.

[Gregzilla]

(My opinion is based on the Gems Collection port, the only version I have).

I appreciate how it tried to make everything....funkier, and it definitely has a vibrant and likable feel to it. Both soundtracks have good things to offer (though I prefer the JP/EU one), and overall it definitely has a unique style.

But the level design is shit. I like the idea of having bigger levels to explore, but as I'm sure many have said before, the levels are filled with a clusterfuck of obstacles and structures with little rhyme or reason to their placement. Simply getting around some areas is a chore. One thing I like best about Sonic games is that if you play well enough, you achieve a great sense of flow and grace in your movement. Sonic CD is the game that has some of the worst flow in the series, in my opinion. You constantly get stopped by walls and enemies when you are running, as there is very little room for just picking up speed. What's worse is that you HAVE to pick up and maintain speed for a while if you want to time travel.

Speaking of time travel, it's a great idea, but its execution has some issues. If you get the signpost you want to go to, you have to keep a good speed for a few seconds. This wouldn't be so frustrating if it weren't for the level design, which rarely allows you to just run free. Also, if you get a signpost you DON'T want, then you have to be careful to make sure you DON'T go too fast. The placement of springs and bumpers can be both helpful and hurtful in both scenarios.

Basically, CD is a game where I constantly feel like I have to be very cautious when I control Sonic. Not being careful could easily lead to me losing my time travel, or getting sent back to an inconvenient location, or getting hit by an enemy. Sonic is at his best when he combines speed and platforming to create a sense of flow. I don't get that from Sonic CD.

Other notes: the special stages are actually my favorite in the series, the bosses are incredibly boring (except for Metal Sonic), and Wacky Workbench is my least favorite level in the entire series.

[Vertekins]

Generations may be my favourite game in the series but I won't deny that CD is the best.

Everything about it oozes with quality and creativity. The animated sequences are near-unparalleled in awesomeness, only really rivalled by the Unleashed opening and SatSR's ending. The two animated sequences feel like they define Sonic's attitude and abilities and the songs are like the cherry on the cake (JP/EU ones I mean).

I've always felt that the level design is great considering the greater focus on exploration and the physics are nowhere near different enough to make it feel clumsy particularly in the 2011 version. The level gimmicks are quite interesting, such as conveyer belts in Quartz Quadrant, shrink lasers in Metallic Madness and the 2D layers in Stardust Speedway that opens up different paths when you hit the square panels.

The bosses are made out of pure creativity, having a greater focus on waiting and striking the weak spot or destroying them indirectly.

I think an admirable thing about this game is that it's green message isn't heavy-handed and anvilicious like other offenders such as Farthing Wood and Captain Planet. It contains a very fair view on technology and the games' visual style and overall theme is even enhanced by this aspect. The Bad Futures show how very wrong Eggman is in his obsession with robotics and technology without a care for the environment whilst the Good Futures show how beneficial technology can be to nature when it is used wisely. Good Futures are absolutely beautiful and wonderfully vibrant. Bad Future's are horribly grimy and use drab pallette's to get across how horrific the future turned out to be. The latter gives you real incentive to achieve Good Futures.

The soundtrack is just...wow. One thing I've always loved about the JP/EU one is how creative it is in taking one distinctive musical motif and adapting it to the various time frames of a zone. It's so clever and it gives each zone an identity through this consistency. The vocals also add a fun bouncy side to the music, with the boss theme epitomizing Eggman's whimsy and Stardust Speedway's vocals sounding groovy. Bad Future's have a sassy kind of evil sound to them whilst Good Future's sound hopeful and pretty. Past timeframes of the stage sound mysterious whilst Present timeframe sounds very neutral and typically Sonicky.

Edited July 10, 2012 by Verte

[TheOcelot]

I noticed you did not mention Quartz Quadrant and Wacky Workbench Zone. Shame on you!!!!

Sonic CD is a wonderful Sonic game. It unique exploration heavy, time travel and gimmicky gameplay makes it stand out as a unique Sonic title which has aged superbly since 1993. The Sonic 2011 enhanced re-release sold like hot cakes. Which shows how popular it. The game looks amazing in HD Widescreen.

So what do I think of CD? Well I have pasted below a post I made earlier this year on the SEGA HD website (Mr Haru's review of Sonic 2011):

'For me the Sonic CD 2011 release (I downloaded from PSN) is the best 2d Sonic game ever released. Of course it helps with all the extra enhancements that this versions has. For me it is a really enjoyable game which I still haven’t stopped playing after a month.

The first time I played CD was in 2005 on the ps2 Gems Collections (I never got to play it on the Mega CD). So I grew up with the American soundtrack as well.

Having played all the previous games on the megadrive, Sonic 1,2,3&Knuckles, Spinball, 3D Blast, I was gutted that I never had a chance to play Sonic CD. The idea that it had time travel was fascintating.

So when I finally got a chance to play it on the Gems Collections, I knew instantly that it was my second favourite Sonic game of all time. The American Soundtarck was excellent. Even this soundtrack sounded superior to the megadrive games.

Even though the Gems version did not have all the special features I still loved it. The only truly annoying thing was that you could only collect a maximum of 9 lives when you could collect up to 99 on the megadrive games. SEGA of course changed that with the re-release.

The HD, widescreen graphics put the other Sonic games ported to the Ps3 to shame.

I love the Japanese Soundtrack (it’s a shame about there being no vocals). I even have the Sonic CD Japanese soundtrack album. For me the Japanese soundtrack is slightly better than the American soundtrack. The american soundtrack is still exellent though. Some of my preferred US tracks over the Japanese versions are: Collison Chaos Good Future, Tidal Tempest Bad Future, Wacky Workbench Good Future and Stardust Speedway Bad Future. To be able to choose between two soundtracks is unique and gives great variety.

The addition of the Sonic 2 style spindash is nice although I always liked the CD version. The ‘super peel out’ is a really fun alternative to the spindash. This gives the short burst of speed which suited the gameplay perfectly.

As for Tails being playable, Tails is perfectly suited to this game which is heavily based on exploration. The level designs are wonderfully imaginitive with a strong level of difficult. The replay value is superb. Maybe it was because I was starved from playing CD for so long but I just can’t stop playing the re-release. I have not got bored yet.

The time tarvel gimmick (which was way ahead of its time in 1993) is the key to it’s success for me. Four possible different versions of each zone, with changed landscapes, rings aplenty and quite a few hidden extra lives, not to mention a different piece of music for each version. A special stage which is both hard and really enjoyable to play.

It just goes to show that you do not need Super Sonic to make a great Sonic game.

I have been trying to see how many extra lives I can collect in a playthrough. I get more as Tails has he can get around easier and explore more in the 10 minute time limit. I have managed to collect 253 lives as Tails (without cheating). I also enjoy trying to collect as many rings as possible. I have managed to collect 826 rings in Palmtree Panic Zone 1 and 712 on Tidal Tempest Zone 2 as Tails. It is impossible to collect all the rings across all versions of the zones because of the 10 minute time limit. I just find it really fun seeing how many I can collect. The more you understand the level design, where the time travelling posts are etc it is easier to get a higher total.

Considering I find myself racing across the levels to collect as much within the time limit and almost dancing to generate the 5 second burst to time travel, (you can be so creative) I do not consider this to be a slow game at all.

So in summary a wonderful product.'

- Pretty much says it all.

Edited July 10, 2012 by MilesKnightwing

[Burnt Ash]

I've played the 360 version of Sonic CD, and well...I found it okay. I mean, I played through some levels, quit for some time because I got a bit bored of it, and then came back to it, realizing that I was at the last level. Beat the boss, and I think that was the last time I played the game until several months later when I decided to try and play as Tails. I didn't really care for the time travel gimmick outside of seeing the new designs for the levels, I didn't really care about killing the robot generators, I kinda just wanted to get to Stardust Speedway, the one level I really looked forward to playing. In short, I really don't know what to think of the game. There's some really good stuff (art, music, some gameplay mechanics), but then there's other things that really just turn me away from the game (level design, bosses). It was average, I guess.

[Whackjood]

I originally played Sonic CD's PC version a very long time ago and I thought it was just okay, not bad by any stretch of the imagination though. Fortunately, I came back to it after the remake was completed and I was very impressed indeed.

To keep reiterating other peoples points down to a minimum, the game oozes style and charm, with each zone and time period featuring its own distinct themes and design philosophies. Similarly, the surreal visual themes in the game is something I would love to see used in more video games in general, it's just so pleasing to look at!

I also had a tremendous amount of fun time attacking the levels in the remake, there's a brick wall of difficulty to overcome when initially trying to complete levels as quickly as possible, but there always seems to be at least one route through a level which lets you move without stopping and at a constant pace. Once I got to grips with what the game wanted me to do when time attacking, such as using the boosters and ramps in Stardust Speedway to clear huge stretches of the level or bouncing on badniks in Palmtree Panic it was a blast.

Although, while the layout of Quartz Quadrant is simple and straightforward, a straight line with paths running parallel which occasionally intersect, it turned out to be my favourite level in the game thanks to the lovely theme in all of the time periods, the crazy conveyor belts and that fabulous music in both the

and American soundtracks.

It's still not my favourite game in the series though, not by a long shot. But it's certainly a lot of fun with the remake.

[MegaMan_EXE]

Sonic CD is a game that surprised me. When I saw the opening cutscene, I thought it was a tech demo for the SEGA CD.

When I found out it was a game, I thought it would fail, as it seemed like a game where you click Sonic to do things.

To my surprise, it was like the Genesis trilogy. Right away, I was hooked, and it all started there.

Everything about CD amazed and still does amaze me. The differnent OST's, Zone designs, sense of speed, time travel, Metal Sonic, etc.

I love this game, and it continues to be my favorite Sonic game.

The Taxman remake only made my love of CD stronger.

Long live, Sonic the Hedgehog CD!!

[Mangoaxe5]

Sonic CD is overrated.

Sonic doesn't control as well as he should. The time tarvel gimmick sucks. And the levels do everything in their power to make sure you slow down. The level design's kind of weird. And I hate how you have to pretty much go through the levels a certain way to get the good ending.

All in all something about the game just doesn't feel right.

[Semi-colon e]

And I hate how you have to pretty much go through the levels a certain way to get the good ending.

Only if you're going for all the generators. You can get all the time stones as well, and it doesn't matter what time frames you use as long as you get them all, and you don't have to even try to get Good Futures as long as you get them. If you want Good Futures in every level then yeah, fair enough, but that's at the very least not the only way to play.

Edited July 10, 2012 by Semi-colon e

[Urban Flow]

A nice game; The level Design was rather odd. I beat the game twice though. Overall I enjoyed it and I like both OST's, however I don't think it was necessary to have separate OST's. Yeah but it does not stop it from being a decent game though.

[MessiahJason]

I always found that Sonic CD had to approached a little differently to it's Mega-Drive contemporaries. If you just sit down with the game and play it from start to finish the levels can be blocky and intrusive to the flow. It's also feels far too easy and short. However if you start trying to get the good futures the game starts the make more sense, the levels open up more and it's bigger test of you ability to use Sonic's move's to get into the past and find the machines. It's a brilliant game when played like that, but I think it's also the feature the puts people off.

[...]

On terms of art direction, I must say these are some of my favorite pieces of Sonic CD art.

[Salamander]

I really liked the multiple versions of each level and the way the art changes were so unique and yet so recognisable for what they were. In that aspect, no other Sonic game rivals it - partly, admittedly, as no other Sonic game has ever braved the same territory.

[TheOcelot]

I just get the feeling that SEGA of Japan had an absolute blast when creating Sonic CD. They didn't have the burden of the numerical sequel (alhough CD nearly was), so SEGA were able to be really creative. The superior technology of the Mega CD naturally gave them more freedom to do something different. Like just how great the music was. BOTH soundtracks were excellent. Granted the physic's were slightly odd, but they were easy to adapt to. The super peel-out was neat.

I like Sonic CD's unique gameplay-that it stands out on it's own so well. There really isn't another Sonic game like it. It has aged extremely well.

[...]

I just get the feeling that SEGA of Japan had an absolute blast when creating Sonic CD. They didn't have the burden of the numerical sequel (alhough CD nearly was), so SEGA were able to be really creative. The superior technology of the Mega CD naturally gave them more freedom to do something different. Like just how great the music was. BOTH soundtracks were excellent. Granted the physic's were slightly odd, but they were easy to adapt to. The super peel-out was neat.

I like Sonic CD's unique gameplay-that it stands out on it's own so well. There really isn't another Sonic game like it. It has aged extremely well.

I agree. CD tried to be something different, it's one of the many reasons why I love it.

[WarioBone]

Second favorite Sonic game. Love it.

Also, the US soundtrack is a thousand times better than the JP one.

Edited July 15, 2012 by HyperMetalWario

[-Mark-]

I think in terms of atmosphere and style, it's right up there with the best of them. I've said many a time before that the opening cutscene to Sonic CD (EU/ JP soundtrack) is my single favourite piece of Sonic media ever. It's the one that had the most impact on me and is by far the most iconic.

The game is... okay, I guess. It's not bad, it's not great, it's decent enough. It has a nice soundtrack (EU/ JP; despite hearing the US soundtrack first and growing up not even knowing the EU/JP one existed, I always found the US soundtrack painfully forgettable and bland =/).

[...]

I think in terms of atmosphere and style, it's right up there with the best of them. I've said many a time before that the opening cutscene to Sonic CD (EU/ JP soundtrack) is my single favourite piece of Sonic media ever. It's the one that had the most impact on me and is by far the most iconic.

The game is... okay, I guess. It's not bad, it's not great, it's decent enough. It has a nice soundtrack (EU/ JP; despite hearing the US soundtrack first and growing up not even knowing the EU/JP one existed, I always found the US soundtrack painfully forgettable and bland =/).

I had actually played Sonic CD for the first time when I got the Gems Collection, the US soundtrack felt so.. meh. (sans Sonic Boom). When I heard the JP soundtrack when I got SCD 2011, it was a godsend to my ears.

I also agree with you on the animated intro. it just captures the feel and attitude of Sonic. Just Sonic doing what he does best, running.

Edited July 12, 2012 by Felix

[TheOcelot]

I had actually played Sonic CD for the first time when I got the Gems Collection, the US soundtrack felt so.. meh. (sans Sonic Boom). When I heard the JP soundtrack when I got SCD 2011, it was a godsend to my ears.

I also agree with you on the animated intro. it just captures the feel and attitude of Sonic. Just Sonic doing what he does best, running.

The intro looks really good in both the GEMS and 2011 versions of CD.

I personally like both the US and JP/EU Soundtracks. Like you I grew up with the US soundtrack (first time I played CD was on the GEMS collections). I liked the US soundtrack very much-still do.

However, when I heared the JP soundtrack for the first time I knew it was my favourite of the two. This soundtrack has some incredibly catchy whacky tunes, like Collision Chaos Present. The JP is great especially when listening to it on your IPod or car stereo.

The US soundtrack isn't quite so in your face. Some of the tracks feel more low key compared to the JP tracks. However, the US soundtrack does seem to suit the level designs and atmospheres slightly better than the JP soundtrack. Also, don't forget that unike the JP soundtrack, the US soundtrack has some incredible exended mixes which sound fucking awesome. Just check out those extended mixes on the 'Sonic Boom' album. You certainly can't fault the effort made by Spencer Nilsen.

Some parts of those mixes were actually included in the 2011 version of Sonic CD.

Edited July 12, 2012 by MilesKnightwing

[Coral]

The animated intro is definitely a step up from the original.

I will say I do like see all that incredible pixel art. It's choppy and sort of rough around the edges, but I kinda like it. I've never actually seen it in game since my family never bothered getting any of the Sega consoles beyond the Genesis, so all I've seen all these years were still images. I did play the old computer version however. Played that game for hours! It can even be put inside a boombox and played as a music cd, which I always thought was pretty cool. :}