Sonic games that you consider guilty pleasures

[MamboCat]

Hmm... see Sonic 4 I got before Generations and Unleashed because they were cheap as chips last summer. I didn't mind a bit of nostalgia injection with both Sonic 4 parts, and Episode Metal was allright... but the feeling soon faded and I realised what bad games they were compared to my 2D favourites. The 3D games play differently so to me it doesn't seem jarring.

 

So I guess I had some fleeting guilty pleasure from the instalments of Sonic 4, but I've moved on from them very quickly.

[Tara]

I don't really consider any of them "gulity" pleasures.  The games all have their own problems, some more than others, but I don't feel guilty about it.  To me, imperfections are part of what make a series interesting.  Maybe that's why I've found it difficult to get into a lot of modern games outside of the Sonic franchise.  Yes, I'm aware there's tons of problems with today's games that will theoretically be improved in later generations for as long as video games continue to exist, but compared to the games I grew up with and loved, they feel so beautifully polished to the point that they're kind of boring.  That isn't to say it's the imperfections that made the games I love great. I'd probably be more fond of this generation of gaming if I had more of an emotional attachment to it.

 

Anyway, if I had to choose one that would come the closest to a guilty pleasure, it would be the nighttime stages in Unleashed for Wii.  I think they're fun.  Granted, I didn't like that they impeded upon the day stages, but they were still fun in their own way.

Edited March 15, 2013 by Akito

[Vertekins]

I really don't consider any Sonic game a "guilty pleasure". There's no "guilty pleasure" in playing Sonic Chronicles because it's so shit that there's no 'pleasure' to be attained. I don't derive pleasure in playing SONIC '06 so it's not a guilty pleasure and I enjoy the Storybook's gameplay and their unique gameplay structure and skill system as well as the imaginative settings enough for them not to be "guilty pleasures".

 

When I play Sonic games, I pay no heed to what other people think of them to come to a conclusion on what I think of them and therefore can't class them as guilty pleasures as a result and the games I hate I don't derive pleasure from at all.

[canderson]

Love this thread!!

 

I really can't bring myself to hate Sonic and the Secret Rings like most people I know. I actually had a blast playing through all of the 7 stages and to a less extent the side missions, despite the control scheme, which I personally didn't have too many issues with, as well as the on rails game play, which I totally understand why people dislike. Also, the chemistry between Sonic and Shahra, I felt, made the story more entertaining.

 

The only thing I absolutely hate, which some people actually praise, is the damn soundtrack. 

Besides Levitated Ruins and maybe Night Palace, the entire soundtrack is pure trash and very forgettable. 

Edited March 15, 2013 by canderson

[TheOcelot]

Sonic Spinball.

 

Whilst Spinball doesn't really play like normal 2d Sonic gameplay, it was a short and mostly enjoyable pinball type game. Good in parts. Much like the short Sonic R, Spinball has a nice soundtrack.

 

I don't think it gets a level of hate that some of the other spin-offs - 3d Blast - get.   

 

I hardly play it, but I do remember it fondly.

Edited March 16, 2013 by -Bender-

[Animatedmusic]

Sonic chronicles

 

i'm not a huge RPG fan

so this game was a good game to start of with

 

the music and story was bad though

[Da Blu Hedgie]

Secret rings (it's the only bad sonic game I'll pull out to replay...wait scratch that I've pulled out sonic 06 a few times less than the secret rings in fact).

[FireBird75]

The only game I can think of as a guilty pleasure is Sonic 3D Blast.  Other games I either liked or disliked but 3D Blast is the only game that I feel fits the definition for guilty pleasure.  I was able to control Sonic well enough, I liked the level tropes, the special stages were easy (perhaps too easy :/), and I liked really the music (both Genesis and Saturn).  The game itself wasn't so great but I didn't hate it.

[Mauro Fonseca]

Sonic Heroes. Team Chaotix.

 

Alternatively, I suppose Sonic 3D Blast, but I tend to play the "no flickies, super sonic" rom hack

[Dark Qiviut]

Shadow the Hedgehog.

1. The in-game graphics are deplorable.
2. The story and characterization of almost everyone are stupid!
3. The gun gameplay is extremely unbalanced.
4. The budget sucked.
5. As a whole, the game isn't good at all.
6. Some of the missions are impossible to complete.
7. Many of the level designs are very mazy.

But I still really enjoy playing it, listening to its story (even if it's only for laughing at how BAD it is), and shooting at my enemies.

[Tara]

The budget sucked.

Wait, what does that even mean?

 

Not to defend Shadow the Hedgehog, but the budget doesn't automatically correlate to how well the game turns out.  There are many games of much lower budget that turned out far better than ShTH, and how do you even know how much Sega spent on developing, promoting, and distributing the game?  Unless you're referring to something else, because I don't know what you mean when you say something as vague and confusing as "the budget sucked."  The budget for what, and how exactly did it "suck?"  Was it poorly prioritized?  What?

Edited March 16, 2013 by Akito

[Dark Qiviut]

Wait, what does that even mean?

Basically, the budget was deplorable, and that's evident by the flat in-game graphics, really unbalanced gameplay, and in-game method to appeal to fans of serious stories and shooters. Sega Studios USA was given an extremely minimal budget to develop Shadow (much smaller than Sonic Next-Gen), and it showed.

 

Still doesn't fully excuse poor quality work in the professional field, though.

[Tara]

Basically, the budget was deplorable, and that's evident by the flat in-game graphics, really unbalanced gameplay, and in-game method to appeal to fans of serious stories and shooters. Sega Studios USA was given an extremely minimal budget to develop Shadow (much smaller than Sonic Next-Gen), and it showed.

 

Still doesn't fully excuse poor quality work in the professional field, though.

I don't really think that budget has to do with any of those things.  The game ran on the Sonic Heroes game engine and they didn't need a budget to decide to darken the tone up to appeal to a darker demographic.  Even if they had a higher budget, the game would probably still have all the same flaws.

[Straw Hat]

Babysitting Cream.

What... the fuck... is that...

[Sega DogTagz]

Battle.

 

A lot of people round here like to rag on the game as repetitive but man do I get mileage out of it. The story line was fun, even though most of the characters take the crazy factor up to 12. Its still enjoyable to go back at watch them all interact. Its one of the few titles that takes advantage of the extended roster.

 

I lost count on how many hours I've sunk into the virtual training. racking up those "awakened" abilities for Emerl is seriously addicting (and no I am not talking about those cheat code character specific combos). Turning him into a literal god on par with the final boss is equally rewarding (until you hit that dang level cap).

Edited March 16, 2013 by Sega DogTagz

[Rally the Cheetah]

Sonic Riders and Sonic Shuffle.

I just find them terribly addicting. Not sure what it is. Riders especially can get me hooked for hours. The sad thing is I can't play that game and not get a blister on my hand from the controller. I'm dead serious, on the areas were you roll the controller's joystick around in a circle to refill your air supply and go faster I absolutely DESTROY the palm of my hand.  

[Endy]

Gens 3DS. The game is short, modern level designs can be mediocre at alot of times and the Classic stages (especially physics) are wacked out as hell, but I still love it.

 

And it has Emerald Coast which I adore too much so...

Edited March 16, 2013 by Enderwoman

[WolfDood19]

I have a soft spot for Sonic Heroes.

[The Matticus]

Shadow the Hedgehog: When I'm feeling like some Shadow action.

 

and here's the kicker; Sonic '06: Since it's the closest thing to a modern Adventure game and plays the closest to SA and SA2.

[TwoTailedFox]

Sonic R. I actually found the game to be pretty fun, if you weren't going for 100% completion. The music was really catchy, and in fact it is my favorite Sonic game soundtrack. I also really liked the weather effect, where the weather would be different for each race (my favorite was the snow, because then you could just glide across the ice )

[Mysterious X]

Sonic Adventure DX and Sonic Adventure 2.

Graphics in Sonic Adventure DX were kinda bad in comparison with the newer games, also Sonic R was nice, I can never deny that I enjoyed unlocking all characters, especially Super Sonic, after I unlocked it I felt the real super sonic speed!

[NocturnalTwilight]

I know some have seen this coming, but Sonic '06.

 

Also, all the Sonic Games people consider bad, I love them. 

 

There really isn't a Sonic Game that I don't enjoy playing.

[Mysterious X]

If you don't hate Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), then I suppose this doesn't make it a 'guilty pleasure', does it?

[Chaos Incarnate]

I guess I'll bump this and go with Sonic Unleashed HD, even though I'm stuck on the final boss. The night stages can overstay their welcome, and the day stages can have some dickish design, but damnit, I love upgrading the Werehog, the day stages are a thrill ride, the graphics are gorgeous, plus the music and story are my favorite of any Sonic game. However, I still don't think it deserved the negative critical reception it got.

[Cyclone T-301]

I don't consider any game as a guilty pleasure, but the closest for me would be...

Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity.

Sonic Riders happens to be one of my favorites, but Zero Gravity took away everything that made it fun.

The game feels slow, there's no boost to gain speed; The turbulence system is useless, it doesn't help you to catch any racer and it just slows you down; The break button makes you stop instantly unlike letting you slide slighty to perform a good turn; Characters now need to activate their own ability, which is a turn-off as it prevents you to take any "shorcut" for the time being (to recharge GP if needed).

There's more, but those are the main aspects that always bugs me while I play.

Despite all the above, I come back to the game because it has good courses, it looks more futuristic than the first, which draws me visually, and the music is as great as the first. I like to use the gravity gimmick too. I think it was a nice addition, but well, not used in the right way.

I still enjoy the game because of that.