30 Days of Sonic DAY 3 - Poll of the Week 1: 'Green Hill Zone' [30DOS22]

[Indigo Rush]

Mechanically speaking, Mania's Green Hill is best. But I'm casting my vote to the one that made me feel something in my 20s and that goes to Generations' gorgeous HD version. Playing the Modern Sonic version was the very specific rush I needed at the time, and seeing it for the first time in that amount of detail was tearjerking. 

[StaticMania]

Sonic Mania...

The visuals may be the same, but the music for both Act 1 & the Act 2 remix just make it the definitive version...

As such, it should be the only version they use from then on.

[WanderingBleats]

I have to go with Sonic Mania. I love Sonic 1's too, but Mania takes a lot of what made Sonic 1's great and expanded upon it.

Honestly, I liked all of these. Except maybe Forces, which I haven't played.

[Sega DogTagz]

Sunset Hill almost took the crown thanks to that absolute banger it has as an OST.

 

But I couldn't discount Gens. It may be baby's first boost stage, but dang if it isn't fun and pretty. Sells the concept and is probably the nicest glow-up GHZ has had to date.

[Echidna Adventurer CC14]

My favorite's SA2's because of both my HEAVY nostalgia for the Dreamcast era in general and just because it was such a neat twist to have Sonic's original stomping grounds redefined for his Adventure gameplay style in full 3D for the first time. Truthfully, I never unlocked it until the 2010s, but it was still such a perfect unlockable surprise for 100% completion of the 10th Anniversary game. (I'd also bet that a large portion of you never got more excited over seeing Green Hill in a Sonic game than you did after unlocking it in SA2.) I'd love for Sonic Team to squeeze in a little something like that for a future milestone game. Cool unlockables are a dying art!

My runner-up would be Generations. (Yeah, I'm more of a 3D games guy.)

[Rabbitearsblog]

I voted for Sonic Mania.  I nearly voted for Sonic the Hedgehog (1991) since that's technically the very first Green Hill, but Sonic Mania's Green Hill looked way lusher and more gorgeous in appearance. 

[Cuz]

Went with OG Green Hills. Though Mania is making me want a do over, I'll stand by it. It was well designed from the get-go after all. 

[Sapphirine Wind]

I chose Sonic Forces' Green Hill Zone, since it's the one I played through the most and remember enjoying more.

I know "green hill's looking more like sand hill right now" is corny and I know the timeskip kind of sucked in forces, but I do like that this stage shows the consequence of Eggman being left to his own devices. it's not just that he'll conquer cities and the world, but he'll practically destroy the world as he achieves his goals.

Even if we could argue that Eggman being in control of the world or Eggman Land wouldn't be so bad, he'll still eff up the environment, and that will suck in general.

Makes you wonder if Green Hill would have suffered that fate earlier if not for Sonic in the first game, too.

[Sonictrainer]

The Good News - I really enjoyed today's poll question

The Bad News - I may have put too much thought into this...

OH WELL

Here's my mini Green Hill Tier List

Best Green Hill Zone #6

Spoiler

6. Green Hill Zone - Sonic the Hedgehog

Whether it’s the 16-bit or 8-bit version, I still feel like they’re both the weakest of these 6 choices simply because they were the first.

They were literally a standard that’s already been passed by many amazing recreations and remixes.

In fact, when I think of every Green Hill themed Zone that exists in the past 30 years, there are only 2 levels that somehow managed to lose against their ancestors in multiple categories.

It also doesn’t help that the Green Hill Zone wasn’t my first Green Hill Themed Zone.

Best Green Hill Zone #5

Spoiler

5. Green Hill – Sonic Adventure 2

…I think the closest I got to unlocking Green Hill was between 175-179 Emblems…

Unfortunately, the novelty of playing a 3D Green Hill Zone back in 2001 is gone thanks to the next 2 entries.

Best Green Hill Zone #4

Spoiler

4. Green Hill (Lost Valley, Green Hill, Guardian Rock, & VS Eggman) – Sonic Forces

Despite the missed opportunities with adding desert elements to the Green Hill Zone, I still wish Lost Valley was a little longer (although you could say that for a number of this game’s levels), and that any other name sounded better than reusing “Green Hill”, I still like it better than the OG Green Hill.

Also, I like that the Egg Dragoon has fought against 3 different versions of Sonic and failed.

Best Green Hill Zone #3

Spoiler

3. Green Hill – Sonic Generations

Not only are both Versions fun to play, but the Missions are also a blast and show the Green Hill Zone during Sunset & Night.

Unfortunately, there is no Boss Battle for either Sonic here. Also, the 3DS Version’s Act 1 is copy/pasted from the original Green Hill Zone Act 1 which also sucks.

Best Green Hill Zone #2

Spoiler

2. Green Hill Zone (Mania Mode) – Sonic Mania Plus

There are several reasons why this version of the Green Hill Zone is winning the poll right now:
-Act 1 is a fun reminder of why the Zone is iconic
-Act 2 is a remix that adds water to the Zone, has ziplines, and uses an updated background from a beta version of the Zone
-characters can use the elemental shields here and can use the Flame Shield to burn those spiky bridges
-the bosses are fun and Death Egg themed
-there are now Giant Rings hidden throughout the Zone that players can use to enter the Special Stages and earn Chaos Emeralds
-the music remixes are good

If we were only looking at the 5 Green Hill Zones, I would have also voted this as the best.

Best Green Hill Zone #1

Spoiler

1. Sunset Hill Zone – Sonic Advance 3

To be fair, you could have put almost any Green Hill themed Zone besides Green Hill here and it would be #1.

The Sunset Hill Zone is one of my favorite Green Hill themed Zones in Sonic Games.

I love the music that fuses Green Hill Zone from the original game with Central City from Sonic Battle.

I like the Boss Battle, where Eggman literally drives a giant Wrecking Ball.

I also remember enjoying the actual level, which wasn’t as headache inducing as some of the other Zones or Acts in Sonic Advance 3.

There are other Zones & levels that try to copy the “Sunset Hill” motif like Encore Mode in Sonic Mania Plus, but it’s not the same.

Honorable Mentions

Spoiler

These are 10 of the other Green Hill themed Zones that I like and feel are better than the Green Hill Zone. There are others I like but I’m stick to 10 for this topic discussion and talk more about them in a future Green Hill/Mountain Themed Zone Topic.

Bridge Zone – Sonic the Hedgehog (8-bit)
I like the idea of the Bridge Zone being an area higher up than the Green Hill Zone that has bridges that need repair.

Emerald Hill Zone – Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (16-bit)
This was my first Green Hill themed Zone and is a literal upgrade from Green Hill OG.

Hill Top Zone – Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (16-bit)
Not all Green Hill themed Zones are green and tropical.

Palmtree Panic Zone – Sonic CD
This Zone’s triangle hills will leave Sonic Booming throughout time.

Mushroom Hill Zone – Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles/Sonic Generations (3DS)
Angel Island’s rice patterned, seasonal mushroom garden is a fun Zone to bounce around and explore either as Zone 1 or Zone 7.

Mecha Green Hill Zone – Sonic Chaos
A really cool concept that I hope gets revisited someday.

Seaside Hill – Sonic Heroes/Sonic Generations
As the Ryan mentioned, Seaside Hill is a blast for any of the Teams to rush through.

Neo Green Hill Zone – Sonic Advance
A Modern Sonic take on a brand new Green Hill Zone…but a little more original than Neo South Island Zone.

Leaf Forest Zone – Sonic Advance 2
This mountain with a giant Lego set background is a blast to run through.

Windy Hill - Sonic Lost World
Green Hill + Windy Valley = Interesting Intro Stage

Dishonorable Mentions

Spoiler

Remember those 2 Green Hill themed Zones I mentioned that were somehow worse than the OG Green Hill Zone? Well, here they are.

Green Hill Zone – Sonic Blast
There was an attempt to create a Classic Donkey Kong Country styled Sonic game. Unfortunately, something went wrong.

It looks so bland and the Super Mario pipes seem so out of place.

Splash Hill Zone – Sonic the Hedgehog 4
Mania’s Green Hill Zone is exactly what the Splash Hill Zone could’ve, would’ve, and should’ve been.

Quick Rundown of what’s wrong with this Zone:
-Where’s the Splash? For a Zone called Splash Hill Zone, there’s not a single drop of water anywhere.
-They tried to reuse elements from other Green Hill themed Zones but they decided to segregate them into their own Acts instead of combining them together to make something interesting.
-Hey, did you know that Sonic 4’s physics are a major issue for most fans?
-Outside of using yellow on the checkerboard hills, they don’t look that much different from Green Hill Zone…
-Eggman reusing the Egg Wrecker has already been done before this game came out, regardless of how he swings the Wrecking Ball.

 

[Nix]

I think all the remixed versions of Green Hill except Sunset Hill are pretty cool for the most part, but there's really no beating the original and the impact that it had. Green Hill's literal everything is iconic and immediately recognizable. The reason its aesthetic keeps getting lifted for new levels is because of how good it is, how absolutely undeniably Sonic it is.

And like, it's just a good beginning level. Short enough to speed through in half a minute but still stuffed to the brim with opportunities that teach you the ins and outs of how Sonic controls.

It made the strongest first impression a level could possibly make and we're still feeling its influence for better or worse depending on how you roll.

[Johnny Boy]

I think sunset hill is my favorite version. I became a Sonic fan because of the advance games, so to see my favorite series of games pay homage to the stage that started it all was incredible. Especially with the visuals and the remixes! Sunset hill is probably one of my favorite tracks in the series.

[Marcello]

Level design-wise, I dunno, but aesthetically speaking it's Generations. It's basicallz exactly how I want classic stuff to be adapted to modern graphics. 

Well, besides Sonic being tiny compared to everything lol But that's a problem with modern Classic Sonic in general. 

[Polkadi~☆]

I'm really tossing up between the Sonic Generations and Sonic Mania interpretations of the classic zone for which one is best. While Sonic Generations lovingly updates Green Hill Zone in a new fresh way, adding and recreating new elements that I just can't see the zone without now, Sonic Mania does something similar by combining the different interpretations of the zone into one whole, and makes it really, really fun to play.

Ultimately, I think Sonic Mania wins out here, in terms of visual ideas and how fun it is to play through both acts.

A runner-up is Sonic Adventure 2's recreation of the classic first act, as it reimagines the stage in full 3D in such a way that you can clearly imagine where you are in relation to the original 2D layout.

The original zone from Sonic 1 is fun, but you can definitely feel in retrospect that the franchise has come a long way from those humble beginnings. It's also one of the only three fun zones in Sonic 1 to play, and probably the best of those three, but again, humble beginnings.
Sonic Forces gives the zone an interesting twist, and proceeds to do nothing with it. Visually, it's too plain. Boring, get off the stage! (heh)
As for Sunset Hill in Sonic Advance 3, I sadly can't speak for it as I have never played any of the Advance games. Don't kill me.

 

An interesting question for sure, I never really stop to think about these levels other that "It's Green Hill Zone." Thanks for asking!

[castell-neath]

Went with Generations as the speed and technical sections in Act 2 are sublime and it really is what a "modern" sonic 1/2 should be like. Unlike Act 1 which felt clunky and flat.

 

The visuals and length of Act 2 is percect too and is not like the unending onslaught of much of the unleashed stages.

No Green Hill Zone for Sonic 2 8bit i notice....?!

[Blusolyn]

Picked Green Hill '91. Generations and Mania were great too.

 

[Shiny Gems]

I would have to say the original Green Hill does it for me. Sonic Mania's is good, I actually liked Sonic Adventure 2's Green Hill, and I liked Green Hill in Sonic Generations, Sunset Hill looks nice and I liked what Faded Hills from Sonic Forces did to be different. Still, sometimes, the original is just the best.

[John43]

Gave my vote to Sonic Advance 3's Sunset Hill

Nothing could prepare me at the time for the awe of being back in Green Hill on the game boy Advance when I first experienced this. From entering the hub world for the first time and hearing the magical rendition of the tune, perfectly in sync with the opening title card animations. Then you find ring 1 and suddenly the remix changes again and the tone turns to a more fast paced one. I love the vibe of this level, the music bringing an anxiety with it I cant describe. The level design in Advance 3 aint the best but I think this zone is the most fun to play. The impact it left on the fanbase can still be felt today whenever we see a Sunset Palette for Green Hill in fan games, ROM hacks, and even in the official games coming after SA3. Truly the freshest GHZ experience in my opinion

[Tornado]

It's a pretty short list of gameplay experiences that caught me off guard as much as seeing this on the menu:

 

And going in and just being blown away.

 

 

 

 

Yeah, the actual level is held together with glue and a prayer just like most of the levels in the Adventure games were, so as soon as you start screwing with things outside of the intended path the seams start to burst; but what a phenomenal and completely unexpected birthday gift to the fanbase.

[Sean]

In terms of actual quality I'd say Sonic 1 or Mania, but ultimately my favorite version of GHZ is the SA2 version and it's what I voted for. I wish it had been longer and covered all three acts, but what's there is fantastic, and it's an extremely fun level to play around in due to how it contrasts SA2's highly linear speed stages. Plus it was an unforgettable moment when I unlocked GHZ for the first time in my Dreamcast copy, and I played that level for a week straight until I got sick of it. Even if the level could have been better, I think it's the most special re-appearance of GHZ the series has ever had.

[Your Vest Friend]

It was a toss-up for me between Sunset Hill (awesome OST, refreshing way to mix up the level) and Generations Hill (Absolutely exhilarating Modern act, even if the Classic act is a little plain).

So I tossed a coin and it went to Advance 3. So I voted that.

[Silvereyes]

The original Green Hill Zone is a classic for good reason. Very well designed and has such good flow. Just a shame that, to me, the rest of Sonic 1 never really lives up to it. Sonic 1 peaks right at the beginning. Generations Green Hill is gorgeous and must of been breathtaking to play back in 2011. But I went with Mania's Green Hill, so many paths, so many vibrant colours and animations and secrets... Mania makes it clear from the off that this won't be a lazy retread and that you will have a great time.

I haven't played the Advance trilogy yet, so looking up Sunset Hill gameplay on Youtube and was very surprised by it. That is pretty cute, amazed actually Sega would even remix Green Hill considering won't they have to pay for a remix of it as it is a licenced track?

[Rabid-Coot]

It was a tough choice between the original and mania but I'm going to give mania a narrow win for taking a solid foundation and improving on it.

[Mr. Ion]

Level design wise, I would say Sonic 1's. Honestly, I haven't even played Sunset Hill, I just voted for it because I really like the music haha.

[Sternosaur]

I went with Sonic Adventure 2 for the luls

[RosaRosaRosalina]

DAY 3

What, no Sonic Blast love? What about 8-bit Sonic 2? Does the "S" in "Green Hills" really make that much of a difference? HUH?! THEY COUNT TOO!!

Okay, kidding, kidding, but I'm going with Sunset Hill. I'm not sure what it is, but the scenic view of the sun really does make a huge difference for South Island's one of a kind tropics... assuming this is even on South Island. I also love how it pretty much remixes Green Hill in its own unique way (and I'm not just counting the music!) Even the boss of Sunset Hill's a wild spin on the very first boss in the games, except instead of Eggman using a wrecking ball... he IS the ball. 

...It's a step in the right direction for creativity, at least.