SONIC CD

[Eternal EX]

So I just finish playing SCD on the cube (gems collection) and well.... I think it's way overrated. Yeah the peelout and spindash are there but it sucks. The level design is no where near as good as sonic 1, 2, or 3/knux. The music is good AT TIMES. Like in one section you have real music, then like in another level it's back to mono. What the hell? The graphics are not as good... wait no where near as good as 2 or 3/knux. Most if not all of the eggy fights are boring and way to easy.

3.5/5

And that ends my rant. So I just want to know what other people think about this overrated classic. (my opinion)

[Thirsty Pocket]

I agree that it is over rated, but it's not a bad game, although I do prefer a lot of the 3D games to Sonic CD...

[ovarloard]

Sonic CD is an enjoyable game, but like Lando, I think the 3D games are better.

Actually, I think the 3D games are better than any 2D game.

[Diogenes]

It's a decent game, but easily the worst of the "big 4" outside of a select few areas. I really don't see why some people think it's the best...the level design just seems screwy to me, which makes the already-annoying time travel gimmick even more of a pain.

[SuperStingray]

I think Sonic CD was a well done twist that adds exploration and backtracking to an already well done formula. It had a great a great level structure and decent gameplay and soundtrack, and the intro and outro were excellent, but I still think the plot and level artwork weren't very memorable and were quite bland to be honest. I don't think it's overrated or underrated. It's just a fun title. If any of the classic games were overrated, I'd have to say Sonic 2. Not a bad game by any means, but I don't see what makes it so much better than the others. But it has by far the worst bonus stages. But I just hate Mode 7 in general so I guess that's shared with Sonic CD's. Not the Blue Spheres one though because the depth perception is much better there.

Edited April 20, 2009 by A Ham Sandwich

[Sean]

Sonic CD is the most confusing Sonic game of all time.

What I loved about it was the visual style of the game, which is among the most surreal I've seen for the Sonic series, both soundtracks, which are both awesome and wonderful in their own ways and I still can't understand why the fanbase used to fight so much over them, and the Special Stages, which are the most fun and visually cool in the franchise. The art direction is great; every single zone is a joy to look at, which makes actually using the time travel feature worth it in order to explore the different sections.

What I hated was the less-than-stellar level design. Every single level tries doing everything it possibly can to prevent you from ever running at full speed. You have an extra (and useless) speed ability in your arsenal, yet you never have a chance to use it. The time travel system was poory implemented as well, thanks to the obstacle-ridden level design. I mean, all the hardcore time attackers praise this game for allowing you to go fast once you've memorized it enough. But why the hell should I have to play a level over and over and over again, memorizing every single detail about it (which is something I don't want to do in a Sonic game), when I can easily get a more pleasant sense of speed in the Genesis originals that still don't veer into "hold right, game plays itself" territory like Sonic Advance 2? I certainly don't see memorizing the game as an advantage.

Sonic CD was the first 2D Sonic game I've ever played, when I got the PC version. I really loved it at the time, and I still do kinda like it (I just beat it again recently in Fusion), but it leaves a lot to be desired.

Also, the anime sequences are kick-ass. In fact, I'm torrenting this right now as I type.

Edited April 20, 2009 by Sailor Jakey

[Saint Nathan]

Sonic CD had bad level design, horrible ideas, badly placed eneimes, it was a huge search for just 50 rings, it didn't flow, and it felt like a bad hack of Sonic 1. The concept was great, but the game itself is horrid. Majorly overrated.

[RhikoruFa-La-La-La-♪]

I think most people go into Sonic CD expecting it to play like all the other Sonic games, which is a fair assumption (if I can state the obvious) but..

It doesn't, which, I can agree that it is a confusing game to place or have opinions about, especially for as much gorgeous music and art as it has.

If you are looking for a 2D Sonic game like all the others, then this isn't the first choice of 2D games you should pick...

But...I think the game, in a whole, is really good. REALLY good. However, speed is a reward rather than a feature, if you ask me. If you try and play the game like any other Sonic game, it's really easy to jump up and down and scream "ZOMG BAD LEVEL DESIGN WHY DO I DIE D:<" (Not to diss people saying the game has bad level design, but if your reasons are because you can't spam a spin dash/peel out, then yeah, this is about you.)

I think this game is like Sonic Rush's opposite ended brother. Sonic CD is all about platforming and exploration, with moments of speed, used almost primarily for the purpose of getting your time warp. Sonic Rush, however, is all speed and adrenaline to zoom through a level as fast as possible, with occasional breaks to defeat enemies, and a few higher/lower path switches.

Gorgeous, great music, interesting concept...but a bit more beaten path than what you'd expect from 2D. If you just played Sonic 1-3 and jumped onto CD...I could see how you'd get confused or angry. Playing it for what it is is much better...I definitely wouldn't try and speed run it any time soon, though, and it's very short. :/ Certainly not the best game or best Sonic game ever, but far from the bottom of the barrel...so...yeah. Overrated, but still great.

P.S.- If Sonic CD does one thing awesome I'd note, is its bosses. We need more bosses like Sonic CD's bosses. (except the Final boss was a total letdown/joke. >: ()

Edited April 20, 2009 by Roffles

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

I'm with Dio on the game being decent, but flawed.

The levels weren't really that great as folks say they are. Though I do appreciate the music, changing from passive tunes of the past, upbeat tunes of the present, the more relaxed and heavenly grooves of the Good Future, and the more grimmer pieces from the Bad Futures. Tho I'm talking the European/Japanese version for this case. Such a shame that the music wasn't made into a loop for the stages and had to stop rewind and play itself each time it ended IN-GAME.

The Peel-out is the most useless move Sonic could ever have, bottom line. You can just as easily pick up speed with the Spindash alone.

Levels were absolutely wacked out, and I don't mean that in a good way. Some parts in the game seem to put Labyrinth Zone in Sonic 1 to shame, although it is slightly easier to navigate. The looks of the stages...don't know how to describe that. I loved Quartz Quadrant and Stardust Speedway, didn't care so much for every other stage.

And playing the special stages sucked.

Good for some charms, bad for other parts. But yeah, it is overrated.

[Phos]

Wow, you make a topic about Sonic CD only to diss it? It really comes off as a troll post.

The music is good AT TIMES.

(gems collection)

Found your problem.

I felt the same way the first time through. The real fun from Sonic CD comes from learning the fastest routes through the levels. Just today I was TA'ing Collision Chao Act 1 and found a way to shave ten seconds off my time. There's some real brilliance in these levels when you play the game that way.

Sorry that this game actually makes you work to go fast.

CSS: Way to be demonstrably incorrect. The peel out makes the spin dash useless because instead of needing to be revved, it charges up the whole way right away. As soon as you release the Peel Out, you can immediately start rolling, at full speed no less, the spin dash can barely get half speed. You can also jump or screech or whatever right out of it. And you mention the music not looping, that's because CDA can't loop on the Sega CD, it's not like nowadays where the entire track can be stored in RAM, it's being streamed from the disk, so the laser has to go back start over.

And you guys are criticizing the bosses? Compared to what, the amazing drill car thing that drives in a straight line? The metropolis thing where you sit and wait for it to decide to let you hit it?

Sonic CD's design demonstrates a kind of brilliance you rarely see, it becomes a completely different game when played in a slightly different way. If you're content with the bad ending, you can just go through the game, if you want to get all the times stones, it becomes the same sort of challenge as the chaos emeralds in Sonic 1, if you want to just make a Good Future, the game becomes focused on exploration. You can play through the game three times and it's still fresh. And then you can start delving into time attack. The more open worlds presented by Sonic CD is the route Sega should have followed for bringing the games into 3D.

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

CSS: Way to be demonstrably incorrect.

Way to be flashy with words, because you're not doing a good job at convincing me otherwise bud.

The peel out makes the spin dash useless because instead of needing to be revved, it charges up the whole way right away. As soon as you release the Peel Out, you can immediately start rolling, at full speed no less, the spin dash can barely get half speed.

I still think the Peel-out is useless, and I could care less on how fast you could go rather than whether or not it was needed in the first place. And I never thought it was ever needed to begin with.

You can go on about it as much as you want, but until I see some use in it myself, my opinions on it are not going to change.

And you mention the music not looping, that's because CDA can't loop on the Sega CD, it's not like nowadays where the entire track can be stored in RAM, it's being streamed from the disk, so the laser has to go back start over.

I played the game on PC. You can't expect me to know everything, so no need to show your brillance on the hardware buddy.

Edited April 20, 2009 by ChaosSupremeSonic

[Sean]

I thought Sonic CD is an example of being on the total opposite spectrum from other titles such as Sonic Advance 2 and Sonic Rush, both which are mindless running fests. It's not about me wanting to spam Spin Dash so much as I'd for a more natural flow when playing through the game casually. Sonic CD had quite a lot of obstacles that people like me would find cumbersome, and even though I've played through this game many, many times over the years, I still don't like it when I find myself effectively stopped by a sea of red springs or descending spiked platforms.

I guess the level design is good if you want to go really slow. I'm not interested in time attacking, so I don't have the patience to memorize this game enough to take advantage of its speed. It's not speed I necessarily want, it's flow, something the Genesis games (especially Sonic 3 & Knuckles) did exceptionally well at.

No matter what though, Wacky Workbench can just go to hell.

[Phos]

Sorry about my tone earlier. This thread was reminding me of reading an IGN review.

I still think the Peel-out is useless, and I could care less on how fast you could go rather than whether or not it was needed in the first place. And I never thought it was ever needed to begin with.

You can go on about it as much as you want, but until I see some use in it myself, my opinions on it are not going to change.

It does the same thing, only faster.

I played the game on PC. You can't expect me to know everything, so no need to show your brillance on the hardware buddy.

The point remains the same. It as either not take advantage of the hardware or deal with the looping.

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

It does the same thing, only faster.

I still think it's useless.

The point remains the same. It as either not take advantage of the hardware or deal with the looping.

Did you read, Phos? I said played the game on PC, meaning I wasn't able to take advantage of the hardware in the first place.

And second of all, I wasn't complaining about the looping. I merely said it was a shame that he had to stop and rewind itself after each time it played, but I wasn't making that big a deal to be complaining about the looping. I can gladly show you complaining if thats what you were thinking of it.

Edited April 20, 2009 by ChaosSupremeSonic

[Sean]

If you want to see real complaining, read what I posted in the Riders topic! *DON*

Speaking of which, there's a looping project for the Japanese soundtrack on Retro, isn't there? I'll have to check that out sometime.

[Phos]

This was back when Sonic CD would have been a fairly taxing game, so it's the same story on the PC as well.

[Sean]

Oh wait, I have to make special note of the bosses in Sonic CD, since these are really hit-or-miss with some people. Personally, I really enjoyed them. They're really different from the typical "hit Eggman eight times in five seconds" kinds of deal that could be applied to most of the Genesis bosses; even though a lot of these fights take only one to three actual hits, it's actually attacking Eggman that becomes the real charm.

I'd really like to see more of Sonic CD's kinds of bosses. In fact, even though Collision Chaos's boss drove me insane way back when, I find it to be one of my most favorite boss zones in the game.

I didn't really like the race with Metal Sonic very much though. Not so much the tactics used by Metal (which were expectedly unfair - I'd expect nothing less from Eggman's creation), but I'd have liked for something a little more intense... uh, give me a minute, I can't think of anything right now.

Edited April 20, 2009 by Sailor Jakey

[Remy]

Sonic CD stopping the player from going fast is a very deliberate decision, it's to make you work for your time travel, not just LOL SPINDASH and zoom into the future. I think it represents a very deliberate, different vision of Sonic the Hedgehog, one where it's not all about running, and it is instead about careful platforming and exploration.

Personally, I think the visual presentation is awesome too, small touches like the decay of badniks and the past/future zones were pretty awesome, I'd go into furtherdetail, but I havne't played the game in forever, I lost my disc for the CD version.

No matter what though, Wacky Workbench can just go to hell.

Agreed, haha

[JezMM]

I agree it's overrated and I too don't like how well you need to know the levels to get any flow out of it.

Playing through it for a quick blast does make the whole game feel like there's some evil giant wind constantly trying to push you away from the goal signpost because of all the obstacles that flick you in the direction you didn't want to be going. The sea of crazily posistioned springs near the end of that one Collision Chaos act was the worst offender for me when I first played.

I too really liked the creative bosses, even if a few did feel kind of easy. Metal Sonic was annoying though. Like the rest of the game the racetrack constantly threw hills at you that stopped you in your tracks, but Metal could get by without a problem. Kind of annoying.

Oh, and with regards to the Super-Peel-Out thing... my personal view was that it was like an "Expert spindash". It was faster, but left you vulnerable to enemies unlike the spindash if you didn't roll up into a ball after performing it.

Overall opinion though: It's a great game, I really like it, and even if I can't be arsed to get the most out of it by mastering it as Phos said, I still find it really fun. Only had the patience to get Good Futures once though. Exploration is great, but a lot of levels they're really tucked away I found. Exploration should not always = scouring the level entirely.

Edited April 20, 2009 by JezMM

[Hedgehog]

I went out and bought Gems Collection on the cube as I was hearing rave things about it here, and although I did enjoy it, I do believe that it is overrated.

It is definitely enjoyable, but not as much so as Sonic 2 and Sonic 3 (& Knuckles)

Though I did really like the ability to do that alternate spin-dash styled run, that is one feature I wouldn't mind see a return.

Edited April 20, 2009 by Hedgehog

[Flint]

The atmospheric US soundtrack > the generic platformer jingle EU/Jap soundtrack.

PROVOCATIONAL OPINIONFACT.

[Remy]

Robotnik's US boss theme gives me nightmares still. Awesome piece of music, so atmospheric, particularly if you fucked up and ended up in a bad future.

So different to the super happy fun JP version of that tune

It is definitely enjoyable, but not as much so as Sonic 2 and Sonic 3 (& Knuckles)

Sonic CD> those games. Sonic 2 is just too easy, S3&K is too drawn out.

[Cortez]

The way I see it Sonic CD is like the Mario Bros 2 of the classic Sonic games, if you play it and expect it to be the same ordeal as the other classic Sonic games you're going to be dissapointed, but if you go into the game realising that its a little bit different and just take it as it is you'll find an awesome little gem of a game waiting for you with a crazy amount of content and replay value.

[Jetstreamx]

I looooooove/haaaaaate this game. I love the whole time travel aspect, which makes the level so much fun to just explore, rather than just flat out run through, but that's about it. Aside from that it's mediocre at best. It's pretty to the point of being a pain to look at. It's too clutter. I don't have a problem with the obstacle placement or the enemies, it's that there is so much stuff in the level that it all kinda mutes out. Everything looks like its in the same plane of perspective with that game. It's almost like they over-cluttered it just because they could, and for all intents and purposes I'm sure they did. And how the heck did they screw up the Spindash/peel out? You have to be darn anal with how you do it, it's not even funny sometimes. But hey, at least I can explore it a bit when trying to get the good future.

[batson]

It's better than the vast, vast, vast majority of 2D platform games (and i LOVE 2D platform games, mind you), it just isn't as good as the Mega Drive Sonic games, which are outright masterpieces of the genre.