Zones we hate

[Scar]

Cool Edge in Sonic Unleashed, what a nightmare.

Night or Day?

[Glenn]

I could list why, but I'd be liable to have some kind of rage meltdown, so I apologise in advance for the straight list. I'll also steer clear of the SEGA GameGear list, as that's much longer (and pretty much is just a list of all the zones, from all the videogames, anyway).

- Marble Zone and Labyrinth Zone, Sonic the Hedgehog

- Metropolis Zone, Sonic the Hedgehog 2

- Sandopolis Zone, Sonic & Knuckles

- All of the stages involving a certain cat and his forsaken fishing rod, Sonic Adventure

- Angel Island Zone, Sonic Advance

- Lost Jungle and Frog Forest, Sonic Heroes

- Sky Canyon Zone, Sonic Advance 2

- A few selected parts of precise jumping in Chaos Angel Zone, Sonic Advance 3

- Central City, Shadow the Hedgehog

- Altitude Limit, Sonic Rush

- Silver's journey through the indoor section of the Dusty Desert, Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)

- Planet Wisp on the Nintendo DS, Sonic Colours

You can also safely assume that the more infamous of the sidequests in Sonic Unleashed, for the HD consoles, would be included were I not trying (and succeeding, until three seconds before I started writing this sentence) to block them from my eternal memory.

[The Tenth Doctor]

Let me put it this way. Spring stages in Sonic Colours. So annoyingly boring. Also Aquatic Base from Sonic 06. It is very boring as well.

[thedarkknight]

Night or Day?

[Nattala]

Some may be annoyed by me saying this but WING FORTRESS ZONE. Oh how I hate this level its just too hard and cheap. It's probably the worst Sonic stage for bottomless pits except MAYBE Rail Canyon. The fact that it makes you do tricky platforming over the pit means that you're very likely to die more here than any other Sonic 2 stage. The part where you have to jump over the disappearing platforms is too quick, meaning you eventually have to start taking these huge leaps to platforms you can't even see yet, hoping that not only will you reach a platform but that the platform will be there. Then after that there's a thing that slings you over this gigantic pit but is you're going anything but top speed it just dumps you into the pit, even spindashing into it usually doesn't work and considering its after the aforementioned tricky platforming section means that you very likely stopped after you got over the platforms to make sure you don't fall off, which usually means you can't go fast enough now to get slung over the pit.

Then ofcourse there's the boss which is even harder than the final boss, you can only attack it, whens its firing at you and it doesn't take long to charge which means you have like a second to hit it. Then ofcourse the platforms have spikes and they tend to either put you right under the laser as its firing or takes you nowhere near the laser so you can't hit it or even run you into the spikes of another platform. Then when you're playing as Knuckles.... This zone is the reason I have never beaten Sonic 2 without saves.

Also Metallic Madness for being annoying maze-like.

[Jimbo]

Metropolis Zone.

It's everything I hate about Sonic levels manifested into one massive disaster. Enemy placement is atrocious and they're programmed to be broken and cheap as hell. The level design is flat out dull and overstays it's uninspired welcome. It's main gimmick is tedious and pointless, and it's a massive chore to play through.

And it has three acts. Fuck that shit.

The best I can hope for when I get to this level is that I already have Super Sonic.

Edited July 17, 2011 by o T a iIi lL sS

[Vertekins]

Wacky Workbench.

I hate how vertically-inclined it is and the bouncy floor compounds the "ARGH!". Then there's the electric currents that are turned on in everything but the Good Future. And then there's the platforms that compound the speed it takes to get down to bouncy-floor level and then you have to navigate via the smaller platforms that require decent jumping accuracy.

Did I mention the ice shooters? And the Minomusi Badniks that pop out of ceilings with no warning whatsoever and jut Spikes out of their bodies?

[Dr. Crusher]

I think everyone hates Sandopolis. This zone is a bitch. Especially Act 2. The quicksand is annoying and the enemies don't help it's case.

I don't. Even if the infinite loop slides had me for a bit.

Although that may just be my immediate fondness for Egyptian levels talking.

Anyways, Chemical Plant? Metropolis? Labyrinth? Please. Those never bothered me. But you know what does?

Sky High Zone - Gliding is tish.

Game Gear Sonic 2's Green Hills Zone Act 3 - It was harder getting to the damn boss than it was fighting it.

Death Egg's Eye - Metal Sonic is a dick.

Prison Lane - Because it introduced us to Tails in a Mech.

Pumpkin Hill - It's one of the more creative SA2 levels, but when I have to go from one mountain to another mountain yet again...

Mission Street - Just tedious for me.

Aquatic Mine - Fucking ghosts.

Egg Quarters - It's all good until the INVINCIBLE LOUD BEETLE ROBOT comes along.

Security Hall - Used to be scared of fucking up. Got over it years ago though.

BINGO Highway Zone - Kept messing up.

Rail Canyon Zone/Bullet Station Zone - FREEEE FALLIIIING...

Final Fortress Zone - Usually I don't mind last levels being hard, it's only natural. But those rail lasers need to be taught a lesson.

Westopolis - Being forced to see a generic and bland city ten times can make you go insane. Hell, half the time I'd do the Dark mission just so I could go to Digital Circuit.

Glyphic Canyon - Just not that visually appealing for my tastes. They look much better when in the sky (read: Sky Troops).

Lethal Highway - The alien ship constantly dismissing what should be damage combined with Sonic's incompetence equals more misery for Crusher.

The Doom - Hey. Maria. Shut the fuck up.

Air Fleet - I actually like the stage, but I think it's one of the biggest examples of it's enemies proving why the guns and vehicles aren't as optional as the game (and fans) like to make them sound. And I'm not just talking about having to kill the President (never thought I'd say that when talking about Sonic games).

Lost Impact - No Maria. The beasts that are threatening us that I'm forced to kill all over this inferior-to-Death Egg space station are not cute. Saying stupid shit like that gets you ki-... oh.

Night Carnival Zone - There are times in which I would escape the boulder and it would still kill me.

Altitude Limit Zone - Those lasers prove why Sky Babylon's better.

Wave Ocean - Those glitches were a bitch.

Dusty Desert - That Egyptians Laugh at Silver's Misfortune puzzle was a bitch.

White Acropolis - That snowboarding part was a bitch.

Crisis City - That Mach Speed Zone was a bitch.

Flame Core - That Knuckles part was a bitch.

Radical Train - Those glitches were a bitch.

Tropical Jungle - Those glitches were a bitch.

Kingdom Valley - That Mach Speed Zone was a bitch.

Aquatic Base - Those Be Careful Not To Fall parts were a bitch.

End of the World - Those Death Testicles were a bitch.

DS Planet Wisp Zone - More a personal fault: my skills in handling the Drill Wisp are subpar at best.

Also, Big.

Edited July 17, 2011 by Dr. Crusher

[Jimbo]

Pumpkin Hill - It's one of the more creative SA2 levels, but when I have to go from one mountain to another mountain yet again...

Oh. My. God. How in the hell did i forget that one.

Pumpkin Hill was the worst level I've ever experienced. In any game. Ever. The vocals were horrendous. The hints. Didnt help. AT ALL.

Just.. get that thing away from me.

Final Fortress Zone - Usually I don't mind last levels being hard, it's only natural. But those rail lasers need to be taught a lesson.

Westopolis - Being forced to see a generic and bland city ten times can make you go insane. Hell, half the time I'd do the Dark mission just so I could go to Digital Circuit.

Lost Impact - No Maria. The beasts that are threatening us that I'm forced to kill all over this inferior-to-Death Egg space station are not cute. Saying stupid shit like that gets you ki-... oh.

There's a few of those ShTH levels I hated. And there was another one where you had to collect 400 rings with Tails as the Hero character.. don't remember what level that was but I always remember getting to 380 and then getting hit by a random enemy.

Edit: Circus Park is the name of the level.

Oh yeah, that's the level with "that damn forth chaos emerald." How can I forget that?

Edited July 17, 2011 by o T a iIi lL sS

[Dr. Crusher]

Circus Park was actually one of my favourite ShtH levels.

Getting hit with 398 rings is a bitch though.

[JezMM]

...But in Shadow The Hedgehog you only lose 10-20 rings per hit. How was getting hit a problem? Lol.

I actually have to avoid rings on that level since I usually gather 400 and accidentally complete the hero mission when I just want to play to the goal ring because it's a fun stage.

[Dr. Crusher]

Because getting hit while you're zooming along tunnels is a bitch.

Like all Sonic games.

[Jimbo]

...But in Shadow The Hedgehog you only lose 10-20 rings per hit. How was getting hit a problem? Lol.

I actually have to avoid rings on that level since I usually gather 400 and accidentally complete the hero mission when I just want to play to the goal ring because it's a fun stage.

Edited July 17, 2011 by o T a iIi lL sS

[BADavid]

My choices:

Labyrinth: I know it's trendy to hate on this level and therefore, ironically also trendy to defend it... but it frustrates me to no end. Water levels are notorious in this series but the very first was, in my view, the worst of the lot. It's not atrocious and I can see some plus points, but I just find it a bit of a chore to play through. The fact that it comes back for more in Scrap Brain Act 3 is the final straw.

Metropolis: This level has a lot of cool parts, but I just found that it went on too long and didn't stay fresh or innovative enough to justify its length - I'd usually had enough by the end of Act 2. It's a cool level with some great music, but the enemies can be a bitch (particularly those exploding starfish enemies) and I just don't enjoy it as much as I do the rest of Sonic 2, which is otherwise probably the most "fun" of the classic Sonic titles. Well, except for...

Death Egg (Sonic 2): Two boss fights, both of which are cool and memorable. But the no-rings gimmick is atrocious - what were they thinking? To me, this is a rare instance of the game actually feeling unfair by tipping the odds so far against you. The bosses would be challenging enough anyway but to me, while they are suitably epic and beating them gives you great satisfaction, it can be enough to tip the balance from the bosses feeling fun and exciting to just plain frustrating. I admit this is because I suck at this stage, but... yeah.

Bingo Highway: This was the most broken stage in all of Sonic Heroes, as far as I was concerned - the ball physics were terrible and getting through seemed to rely on a lot of trial-and-error gameplay. It has its moments and its not unplayable, but I think they overdid the sliding pinball table gimmick, compared to Casino Park which had a much better balance.

Westopolis: I got so fed up of playing this level, it's untrue - I wouldn't mind if it was notably fun or special, but its pretty bland and forgettable all-round, with dull colours, a miserable theme and boring objectives. Not a fan.

Flame Core: My least-favourite stage in Sonic 06 - all of them have their stupid moments, but this level bored me the most. It felt too long and drawn-out, with inane lighting-up-the-spheres puzzles and repetitive areas. I felt Knuckles controlled better than Tails but that's not saying much - his section of the level still felt totally shoehorned in and unnecessary.

Radical Train: Let's just say that my experiences with both Sonic and Shadow's runs through this stage almost exactly resembled those of Pokecapn and co. in their infamous Let's Play - in my opinion, by far the worst of the mach speed sections because it requires precision jumps and sharp turns.

[Glenn]

I actually have to avoid rings on that level since I usually gather 400 and accidentally complete the hero mission when I just want to play to the goal ring because it's a fun stage.

Same, utterly the same.

Circus Park is my favourite stage in Shadow the Hedgehog, complete with GUN geeks and fun little acts.

I'll often boot the disc up just to play it and quit afterwards.

[Octarine]

Final Fortress Zone - Usually I don't mind last levels being hard, it's only natural. But those rail lasers need to be taught a lesson.

[PC the Hedgehog]

The lasers in Final Fortress could be pretty tough, but they were just about the most epic things in a 3D Sonic game, I think.

...much better than spending 2/3rds of the level fighting those HORRIBLE ARMORED EGG PAWN HAMMER THINGS.

Edited July 18, 2011 by PC the Hedgehog

[Fox Gungrave]

Zones we hate... If I had to choose, I will say the entire list of Sonic 06. I've never being so close to throw a pad away in my entire life.

The backgrounds are great like Kingdom Valley, White Acropolis or Aquatic Base but the level design is so disguting that it suck every fun of playing it as we always did in a Sonic game. The palm is for the magnificent Crisi City and I'm very interested to see what they are gonna give us to eat for Generation !

There's also Westopolis because playing the same thing more than 200 times for nothing, this didn't help you to like the level.

[ZER0]

F**K marble garden zone!

[#EndyGate]

Marble Garden and Sandopolis. No other stages seemed to drag on as long as those...

This!

Also I despise Sky Canyon (well I love it as well mainly because of the necesity of tricks, which it took me years to figure out.

[Chooch]

Metropolis sucks.

Marble Garden sucks.

In Sonic Heroes, if the stage name isn't Ocean Palace, Hang Castle, or Frog Forest, chances are it sucks.

That's all I can really think of.

[Vasco]

Everyone in this thread seems to be mentioning my favourite zones...

[EXshad]

White Acropolis. Skipped 3:30.

"Derping around at the speed of shit, got places to go but I can't beat this level..."

Seriously. These boarding mechanics just are morally destructive. They're stiff and leave no room for error, and the level design is so unforgiving here that a single misplaced jump WILL kill you (I lost so many lives trying to make the final jump to the second part of the level when I first got the game..). Not to mention the camera changes frequently, and it inverts how Sonic controls, which is beyond frustrating; even Crisis City didn't have this problem! Evey single solitary element of bad game design is here: you slightly overshoot a jump, you'll slowly descend OVER the fucking ramp and die. You hit a spiked ball? You'll temporarily lose control of Sonic and probably careen into another one and die. You wanna escape that big fucking snowball? Good luck with the control inversions. I mean holy crap.. I know a lot of these problems can be attributed to the problems with Sonic himself, but the level should have been designed to work with the mechanics, but it works against them more so than in any other level in the game.

But the second part is so vague-looking, so devoid of any sense of direction, and just so unsatisfying as a whole that it just seals the deal as being a bad level among bad levels. I'd say I hate Tropical Jungle more, but at least that stage had a sense of direction. So yeah, way to go Sonic Team, you managed your own blueprint on how to make a boarding level that worked.

Edited July 19, 2011 by EXshad

[KHCast]

Metropolis sucks.

Marble Garden sucks.

In Sonic Heroes, if the stage name isn't Ocean Palace, Hang Castle, or Frog Forest, chances are it sucks.

That's all I can really think of.

[SuperClassic]

The outside zone, I've never been there but I know it's a horrible place where a giant yellow ball burns your flesh off.