Welcome to the Ultimate Sonic Review!

Two siblings Mikey (He/Him/His) and Astro (They/Them) tackle the internets favorite franchise to talk about our thoughts on each piece of media

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Review of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 for Sega Game Gear

It’s a Me, a Mikey! This time, he’s in the mood to review Sonic the Hedgehog 2 for the Sega Game Gear released on November 17th 1992. 

As usual, let’s look at that box art! Sonic is seen using the only thing on the box art that is relevant to actual gameplay, the hang glider from Sky High Zone. Like, we see Tails running on the ground near Sonic, despite the fact that (spoiler for game that came out in 1992) he gets the Princess Peach treatment. We also see him in what is basically a Green Hill Zone like area with some bird enemies and what look like Buzzbombers? That don’t even appear in the game; we also see Eggman in the Eggmobile. Other than the inaccuracies, I still think it’s a nice cover. I love how the colors pop, and the sky is quite pretty. I also really do like the way Tails is drawn, and the Green Hill like area, despite being quite simple, looks really nice. The only thing I don’t like about it is the weird NOT Buzzbomber things. I should also mention, the cartridge just has the same image as the box art, but adds this cute image of Tails. Time to pop in that cart and get to it. 

As usual, we hear the iconic but more compressed “SEGA” intro and even see a little cutscene of Tails being chased by Eggman, where he eventually gets caught by him. Oh no, looks like we are going to save him. Talk about lame. This is Tails’ first ever appearance and we barely see him throughout the game. I would have loved to see more of him. Now we see the tile screen and it’s alright, just Sonic and Tails in the giant ring with wings, but Sonic is making a ‘two’ sign, and Tails is being cute, with an, I’ll admit, nice looking blue background.

Let’s quickly talk about the controls before we get into the main game. I think they are worse than the first Game Gear Sonic. He mostly has the same movements from the first game, but he feels much more slippery and is still in motion when jumping. Like when you land, he still moves, thus making platforming unnecessarily more frustrating and difficult. Trust me, some of the most tedious and challenging sections in this game involve this problem.

The items are also the same from the first game. Like the first game, the Emeralds are all hidden throughout the stages but they are more difficult to get this time. There are no Special Stages at all, a first for the series. The sign posts function how they do in the first game but the special stage ! is replaced by an image of Tails that gives you a free continue. The others work the same as last time. Now let’s head underground. Triplets born! The throne awaits! Wait no, not that one!

Welcome to the Underground! How was the fall? NO. Not that one either! >:T Yup, the Underground Zone is our first Zone of this game. Huh, not your typical Green Hill like area. The way this zone looks is a mountainous valley that goes deep in what is basically a mine with lava,  but looks like it’s made of bricks instead of natural rock formations. This Zones main gimmick is mine carts that follow a track. They only have one wheel and somehow do not topple over from balancing issues. The enemies are the new Motora who just move slowly one direction, and are just a recolored Moto Bug (I guess lazy recolors are in the actual games too T_T) Meleon which our just Newtrons but blue, and Taraban who are just Crabmeats but red and blue (starts playing the Gen 1 battle theme) The overall gameplay of this Zone is that it feels too quick. I mean the minecarts are fun but that’s all that is really memorable about this Zone. I do think it does a OK job of the lower path and higher path concept; but now we get to the thing that I honestly think has caused most players to rage quit. The first boss. Once you get to the end of the area right before the fight, you are about to fall to your Turaga Dume, Eggman saves us!? WAT. Oh never mind, he just sends us to the first boss fight, The Pit Master, which is an ant lion like thing. The way you beat it is by avoiding cannon balls. The problem is the screen crunch, you can’t see the balls coming and they bounce so pray that you don’t get hit because you don’t have rings in boss fights again. On the last hit we see Eggman destroy The Pit Master. Ugh that was cheap. Now, let’s go from deep underground, to high above the clouds to the Sky High Zone.

We now arrive in Sky High Zone. The visuals for this Zone look like another mountainous region, but closer to the peaks of the mountains with a grassy hillside and checkerboard rock is a nice cloudy sky with trees. Act 2 sets up a stormy sky that makes the visuals look pretty nice for the game gear. The enemies here have one returning, Meleon, and a new turtle like badnick Game-Game, who walks and then flies to attack. As for the actual gameplay, Act 1 is a basic climb up the mountain, but introduces us to the hang glider that is awkward to control. It’s just hard to figure it out in general.  Just press left from time to time tho, and you’re golden! Act 2 has bouncy clouds to jump off of, but it’s hard to tell them apart from solid and non-solid clouds but a way to tell is if the clouds have extra puffs in the center. Overall the zone has potential to be really good but it feels too limited and boring. Now, for this Zones boss. After going through some platforming we see baby bird badnicks? They are called Mecha Hiyoko. They just bounce around. After you smash them up, eggs are continuously dispensed. Suddenly…oh that is one angry mama bird! She is called The Hiyoko Master. She just launches fire balls at Sonic. Overall this was a way easier fight then The Pit Master. Alright, let’s take a dive into The Aqua Lake Zone

So, there sure is a lake that has a lot of aqua (I’m Aquaman, call me handsome guy) Aaaaaanyway. The way this Zone looks is that it’s a lake in a mountainous region. What's with this game and mountains? It also has fountains with large pipes that squirt out waterfalls that come from mountains in the background (smacks lips. OKAY.) We can also see a blue sky and bricks with holes all over them. Act 2 goes towards more of a Labyrinth Zone vibe, being yellowish green with stone pillars everywhere. For enemies, we have the returning Taraban, and the new Zaririn; lobster like badnicks that swim towards you to pinch you. As far as gameplay goes this Zone is very tedious and boring. It has water that slows you down and really makes it hard to control Sonic because everything is delayed. This Zones main gimmick is giant ridable bubbles that you can control the speed of when going up and down. If it touches the ceiling it pops; make sure to get the top of the area without touching anything. Then there is this one section in Act 2. You have to dodge arrows and Zairins. This section can get quite frustrating even if you know what you are doing. The boss, after we get through some platforming, is a seal with wicked cool shades B) called The Balance Master. To beat this rad dude, wait till it makes its nose a bouncy ball, and right before it launches it, hit the nose to damage it. After that it plays with you like a ball, talk about un-tubular! Overall it’s actually a fun fight for how simple it is. I think it’s one of the better things to come out of this game. Now! Time for (drum roll please) Green hill zone! Buuuuut, it’s actually not?? It’s called Green Hills Zone!? That is super lazy.

Time to enter the most creatively named Zone in the game, Green Hills Zone. This Zone looks what you’d expect a place called Green Hills to look like; a side coast with grass atop checkered blocks. Mountains rise high in the background, makes me think this game is in a mountainous region or something, but this time it has different trees and garren and chalice symbols, er… I mean diamond and heart. There are also flowers and clouds that look like computer points. What? The enemies here are all returning. New Motora, Meleon, and Taraban. For the gameplay, it’s mostly your typical Green Hill, Act 1 being fast paced between the upper and lower parts; Act 2 adds more (BOING) springs that can be fun but is hard to use with the screen crunch which is why Act 3 is awful. You don’t have any rings and you can’t see where to go, like, you could land on another spring or die, like how Mega Man dies on spikes. I guess it’s worth it though because we do get one of the better things to come out of this game. Let’s toss some salt for the Dohyo Master, the boss of this Zone! This Sumo Wrestling Pig is actually quite fun. It will turn into a ball and roll on the ground directly to the other side mid-air, or do a jump roll that will shake the screen when hitting the wall. TBH I think this actually a fun little fight, though, too bad you have to go through such frustration to get to it. The next Zone is Gimmick Mountain Zone… Another Mountain??? It's even in this Zone's name. Is this a Dev team secretly a group of mountain climbers or something?

Let’s talk about one of my favorite Zones from Game Gear Sonic. This Zone's appearance is great. It's a mechanical base but inside of a mountain. It's likely the doing of Eggman. The colors are really nice and sets a nice tone for the Zone and the enemies here are all new. Bomb functions how it did in Sonic 1 when you get close to it, Kaboom! projectiles fly into the air! Next is Buton, a badnick that looks similar to the Ball Hog, but functions differently by bouncing towards Sonic. Lastly there is Drillin, these are basically Burrowbots but with shades. As the name implies, this Zone is very gimmicky, having wheels that make Sonic faster or launch him, conveyor belt platforms that act like a ride, towers with spiral platforms, and even minecarts. All are quite fun. This Zone is pretty straight forward, but the fact you need to be invincible to beat Act 2 is kinda dumb. Besides that, this Zone is easily the game's highlight. Then we get to the boss, The Charge Master, a boar robot that rams into the wall, making its spikes go away, but causes rocks to fall down, and you could get hit by said rocks when bouncing off the boss. Again, this is a fight that would be more fair if you had rings. Besides that, this is a good Zone overall. Next up is Scrambled Egg Zone. So are we going to the kitchen or something?

Nope, we are going deeper underground. Now in an area that actually looks likes it’s underground, we are met with rocks scattered everywhere on mossy ground under what I think is a night sky in an underground cave. There are also pipes everywhere which I will talk about in a second. The enemies are all returning in the Zone as well,  Bomb, Game-Game, and Taraban. Let’s now talk about one thing that makes this zone infamous, it’s main gimmick, a pipe maze. Basically, you are in fast moving pipes and you control where Sonic is going. The problem is that it goes very fast and you might go into a pit of spikes because you don’t know what pipes you need to go through. It's a lot of trial and error and can definitely be annoying if you keep messing up. I had to use an image of the map just to figure out where to go. Act 2 has this section where you are riding on a platform and have to use a pipe mid-ride otherwise you will land in spikes, it was a hard jump for me and can also be quite frustrating. As for the boss, we get our first ever Sonic robotic doppelganger Mecha Sonic. First off, yeah this guy looks super silly and the illustration makes it look like the arm is comic out of the chest, but this is actually a fun fight!. Mecha Sonic will try to spin dash at you but using your own bounces him back. He also has his grabby claw and can dash across the screen, but they are easy to dodge. It's a fun little fight, I just think this Zone can be annoying and frustrating especially without a guide. So after that, we’re off to the next Zone! Huh? The credits? Yeah, so if you don’t have all the emeralds you get the bad ending and the game stops here, possibly implying that Tails dies or something? Let’s come back here with the emeralds and go crystal crazy!

Crystal Egg Zone is the last Zone of the game. Believe it or not, this is Eggman’s base in this game, not your typical mechanical fortress. It's a crystal palace with pretty blue crystals and blocks that have Eggman’s face also below a blue sky. There are also rods and cacti? Odd. As for enemies, we have only one and it’s new the Flying Chomper that swims back and forth mid air. For gameplay, this Zone’s main gimmick is that the Eggman blocks are breakable, revealing hidden areas. The spinning gears are back, but they are now orbs. Act 1 does a good job with the upper path lower path concept; the upper path being more fun and Act 2 being a slightly tedious climb up the fortress, but I think it’s just unmemorable like most Game Gear Zones. There is one thing that is memorable and not for a good reason; the final boss. It’s an unnamed mech. How this fight works is that Eggman launches projectiles that circle around the mech and move at different speeds, and it launches thunderbolts. You need to go into the pipes because every 15 seconds Eggman uses a move that causes death lighting to shoot all over. It's a boring and frustrating fight because you need to be in the pipes the whole time just to be safe. The music is also ear piercing. After the fight, we see Eggman run off and get away, but after more seizure-inducing flashes, Tails comes out and makes a cute little face while Sonic looks confused. Then the buds runoff and their silhouettes are in the sky. I think this ending is pretty basic but it does feel nice to see Tails after trying to save him.

Here are the good things from this game. At the start of every Act, we got a cute scene of Sonic and Tails doing little things in the Act. My personal favorite is the Gimmick Mountain Zone one because it’s fun seeing Sonic and Talis balancing on the gears. Speaking of Gimmick Mountain Zone, it is the only Zone I look forward to when playing in this game, as well as fighting some of the bosses. As usual, the sound track is fine. Mikey’s personal favorite tracks are Green Hills, Crystal Egg, and Gimmick Mountain, while Astro’s are Sky High Zone, and Scrambled Egg Zone.

Now for the bad. Where do we even start?  Like I said, Sonics controls feel more slippery and can be frustrating to use when platforming. One of the games biggest issues is screen crunch. It just makes it hard to see what is coming at you resulting in cheap hits. The level design typically ranges from boring or frustrating, to forgettable. Then there are the boss fights having no rings making the fights unnecessarily harder than they should be. The lack of a save system makes everything more challenging, especially if you get a gameover. 

Overall, I think Sonic the Hedgehog 2 for Sega Game Gear might be one of my least favorite Sonic games; it’s just boring, forgettable, and frustratingly cheap at times. I am surprised this is not one the Sonic games the Internet bashes on. I’ll give this game 2/10 chilidogs just because it had at least one good Zone. Astro gives it 1/10 chilidogs. They say it was hard to watch be played because it seemed so lackluster and frustrating.

Next review is the game that you are more likely to think of when someone says Sonic the Hedgehog 2; the one for the Sega genesis. See you folks there, gotta juice!

Credit for FCPlaythroughs on Youtube for Gameplay Screenshots.

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Review of Archie Sonic Mini Series Issue #0

Hello there (in Obi Wan Kenobi’s voice) It’s time to enter 1992 in November of that year but not with a certain game. Astro and I will review it eventually don’t worry. Instead we are looking at the first issue of an awesome comic run, Issue #0 of the original Archie Mini series, the one that comes before the first issue of the main comic. Yup, we are starting the medium that has the most amount of content. You might be wondering, why are we looking at the comics now? I thought we were looking at the games? Don’t worry, we still are! We are looking at the comics now because we are doing all sonic media in release order. While we don’t know the specific day this issue came out, we do know it came out in November 1992, so we will do it first before the next game, because we do know what date that came out on.

Before we open the comic, let’s look at the cover. Sonic and Eggman are coming out of a CRT TV on a bridge while Eggman is trying to shoot a laser at Sonic. It is set in Green Hill Zone. I think it’s an ok cover. Scott Shaw did an alright job trying to replicate the Gregg Martin style. Sonic and Eggman look fine, but the background looks very bland. I mean it has the loop and mountains and water, but the sky looks like a boring cloudy sky. I should not be too harsh on it though. It IS the first cover of this run after all, and trust me there are ones that are way worse.

So let’s flip the page and uh, well, I guess we should call him Robotnik now because he went from classic Eggman to a slightly earlier version of SATAM RobotnIk. On the first page, we see an image that shows the characters that will be featured in the issue. Jumping from that we get to our very first story in the Archie comics, Don’t Cry for Me Mobius! Robotnik is seen chasing Sonic, ready to fire Mega Muck (LOL Imagine if we got a Mega Muk I bet Astro would approve {Yes, yes I do!}) at him. After Robonik fires and misses, Sonic encounters Caterkiller and gets cornered. Robotnik fires again but Sonic avoids it and the Muck hits Caterkiller. Whomp Whomp.

 Sonic then boosts into the Great Forest causing Robotnik to fall into the Mega Muk. Sonic rushes into the Great Forest and enters Knothole, the hidden base of who we will come to know as the Freedom Fighters. To enter, you need to swing on a rope into a hidden opening in a tree trunk which brings you to a loopy slide into the underground Knothole. What’s interesting is that in SATAM, Knothole is actually above ground. I guess that was something they decided to change in the show.

Once reaching Knothole, we are properly introduced to our way past cool cast of characters including: Miles Tails Prower and Rotor the Walrus. In earlier issues, Rotor was actually known as Boomer. Then, we reach the introduction of the most popular Sonic character to not come from the games, the one, the only, the legendary, Princess Sally Alicia Acorn. (though Tangle and Whisper might take that throne now) After Sonic talks to Sally we see Tails try to replicate Sonic's super speed but trips instantly. During that we see one the best characters from Archie, good ol Antoine D’Coolette but without the accent, as Sonic snarks towards Antoine. Antoine is bringing a message by telling the rest of the Freedom Fighters a leak was discovered in Knothole. Huh, wonder what is causing it.

Now in Robotnik's office we see an extremely over the top name plate. Buzzbomber and Crabmeat are there, Crabmeat having seen the Freedom Fighters. Robotnik prepares for an attack. The Freedom Fighters are now outside Robotropolis and Sonic has traced the source of the leak to here. Tails wants to check it out but before he can, Antoine basically tells Tails how he is “qualified” to go. He then promptly falls into a puddle of water. Sonic found the source and it’s something really stupid and I love it. Weeping Willow trees, and by weeping I mean literal crying trees. The reason why they are crying is because Robotnik bulldozed several acres of woodland. Yeah it’s dumb, but it’s the good kind of dumb.

Robotnik shows up and starts chasing Sonic with the ball from the Egg Wrecker from Sonic 1. As Sonic is getting close to a well of rings (this is where they are found in Arche) Rotor says well like 6 times. What is he trying to do, summon a Wells Fargo? Sonic reaches the well and starts looking for a ring. When Robotnik and his Badniks are about to attack, Sonic finds the ring and uses its power to cause the Egg Wrecker to directly hit Robotnik and smash up the Egg mobile. Robotnik retreats with Buzzbomber.

Now back in the Great Forest and we see the Freedom Fighters planting more trees and poor Antoine gets buried by Rotor because he said he planted a ‘sap’ instead of a sapling. That is the end of the first story. Before we get to the next one, there is a page in between.

Early Archie has one page gag panels throughout the issue. For this page, we are shown Sonic’s “Six Speed Settings”, Sub Sonic, Sonic undercover underwater, Ultra Sonic, showing Sonic out speeding Olympic runner Carl Lewis? Kinda random, but ok. Next is Super Sonic, showing Sonic racing a regular ass cheetah? They couldn’t have made a mobian one? Smh, missed opportunity. (Hopefully they make a cheetah mobian eventually) Trans Sonic is next showing Sonic outracing a car leading into Hyper Sonic where he is outracing an entire jet. Lastly there is Warp Sonic, faster than the speed of light. They added an extra panel showing off Sonic’s patented ‘Sonic Spin!’.

Next is the Royal Family Tree of Mobius where we see Sally crying because Robotnik chopped it down and Sonic telling Sally, “Robotnik will be defeated” while making an oak pun, which is oak-kay by me!

Finally, the last one of these gag panels, Robotniks Badniks, shows several Badniks coming off the assembly line including Splats, the scrapped Badnik from Sonic 1, and the first appearance of the Swat Bots. We will be meeting them again very soon.

Now, in the last story Oh No-Robo! No Mo’ Mobo! (Bobobo-Bo Bo-Bobo you turned me into a carrot! WAH!! No way!) We get to see what life is like before Robotnik's takeover, and we see Uncle Chuck with Mutski, Uncle Chuck kinda looking like Elder Kettle from Cuphead. Sonic arrives at Uncle Chuck's Chili Dog stand. Uncle Chuck comments on Sonic's new kicks. Uncle Chuck gets an order of no joke, 200 chilidogs. Holy Gadunka, that's a lotta chilidogs. I wonder if it’s for a party? Sonic and Uncle Chuck celebrate while Buzzbomber is near a sign Robotnik installed with Robotnik's rules.

Skipping forward, Uncle Chuck’s made all 200 chilidogs, looks more like 40 (I counted) but ok.  Sonic speeds off with them and we see Uncle Chuck get attacked by Swat Bots. Soon after, Robotnik shows up to confront Uncle Chuck, and we find out, GASP, it was Robotnik that called in the order, it’s a trap! 

Sonic arrives at what is supposed to be Robotropolis, but it just looks like a normal industrial park. Sonic is at a door and we see  that Cluck is the customer, with a bill being 300 bucks; so about $1.5 per dog. (I did the math) Cluck then slams the door and drops the Egg wrecker ball on Sonic, but Sonic got out in time and the cart got smashed up. Sonic realizes it was a trap and checks on Uncle Chuck, but when he gets back, he is gone, and Swatbots are dismantling the chilidog stand. Sonic attacks the Swatbots and turns them into scrap. He then finds the location of where the Swatbots were built, all while one is singing, I kid you not, Daisy Bell. Interesting choice!

Sonic speeds off and arrives at a factory. We see a pair of hands approaching Sonic. It turns out the hands are Sally's! This is how they meet for the first time. She tells him her father has also been kidnapped by Robotnik. Sonic is about to run into action, but is stopped by Sally because Buzzbombers are patrolling the area. Sally shows Sonic a shortcut. They hide behind a bush and we see Robotnik with several innocent Mobians roboticized? How is that roboticization the just makes them look like they have the swirls from Professor Frankly's glasses on them?

Sonic sees Uncle Chuck and Robotnik spots the Hedgehog and Chipmunk. Sonic tries to talk to Uncle Chuck but it does not work and Robotnik grabs Sally and is ready to roboticize her while sending out Swatbots. Then, Sonic makes a giant tornado made of speed, scraping the Swatbots. Sonic escapes with Sally to the Great Forest. Sally offers Sonic to join the Freedom Fighters. In the last panel,  we get an ad for what’s basically a mail service that is now useless. That concludes this story.

Also we get one more, one page, panel gag. It’s called Sneaker Peak. It’s just discussing how Sonics sneakers work.

Alrighty, let’s talk about how I felt about this issue. First, let’s talk about the one panel gags. I think they are ok, they are mostly just a joke related to Sonic's speed, and that’s it. Or,  an  excuse to make an oak pun, but I do like the Robotniks Badniks!

Let’s now talk about how I felt about the main stories. I think Don’t Cry for Me Mobius is good. It’s an introduction to this book; it’s mostly an introduction to this world. I do like how the characters are written. Robotnik is a funny entertaining villain, and Sonic is heroic but can be snarky, but does care for others, while being a bit of a bully to Antoine. Speaking of, this poor Coyote did mostly nothing wrong, maybe made Tails sad, but he was just trying to be a brave warrior. Even Rotor bullied him, poor guy. I do like the fact that the Egg Wrecker is there and Robotnik's pollution is causing actual environmental damage. Like, the Weeping Willow could have caused a flood in Knothole and cause the Freedom Fighters to drown. This is early Archie however, so it’s more light hearted and silly. It has basic ideas from SATAM that would be later reworked into something more serious and dark.

The  story I like a little more is Oh No-Robo! No Mo’ Mobo! I think it has slightly higher stakes. I mean, Uncle Chuck gets swirly eyes, er, I mean, “roboticized” Which is pretty cool and dark for early Archie. The fact Robotnik had a victory makes him a bit more of a threat, and Uncle Chuck and Mutski are likeable so it hits harder.  We also see how Sonic and Sally first meet. Of course all of this would be retconned later around 1995 or 1996 when the comics become more SATAM heavy. Overall, it’s a very fun and slightly more serious story than the first. Not as serious and high stakes as later issues though, especially once Ian Flynn steps in, but that will be way later. 

Let’s also talk about the artist. Scott Shaw's pencils are pretty good! The guy does a good DIC style Sonic, and I really like the way he draws Antoine. Some of his pencils can be off though, and Sally looks weird in his style, but it is fun and cartoony.

Overall, I think issue #0 of the original Archie mini series gets 6 chilidogs out of 10. (Astro gives it also 6 chilidogs out of 10. I think it’s a good establishing issue and think there will be lot’s more fun and quirky hijinks to get up to) I’ll give Uncle Chuck 9 bucks for those. Next time we hope back into the Game Gear with a Sonic 2 version you might be less familiar with. See ya there!

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Review of Sonic the Hedgehog for the Sega Game Gear

Hiii!!! (in a Kirby voice) Mikey here! (Astro as well) We are now in December, 1991 to look at the other Sonic game to be released that year: Sonic the Hedgehog for the Sega Game Gear. Though this was released on the Sega Master System as well, the Game Gear version is more widely available, plus, it’s the only Master System version of a Game Gear Sonic game to be released in North America since the rest are only in Europe and Brazil. (Fun fact, the master system is huge in Brazil!) Without further adieu, let’s get into the box art for this game!

I think this box art might be one of the better things to come out of this mediocre game. It has the classic Gregg Martin style Sonic with what appears to be Sonic dashing from Green Hill, just about to enter Bridge Zone, with Buzz Bombers in the background chasing Sonic about fire at the blue blur. My favorite part of the box art is easily the colors and scenery. It looks very pretty and scenic. Like, the mountain in the background is very detailed making it feel very rocky (and Bullwinkle wait wat?) Oh yeah I almost forgot, Eggman is here too! The cartridge has the same image, just cropped.

Ok, let’s pop that cart into the absolute unit that is the Game Gear (or again, PS2 disc if you have Mega Collection Plus) and get to that title screen. After hearing the iconic but more compressed “SEGAAAAA!!” and seeing (a pretty cute sonic sprite from the logo) we arrive at a title screen that is way worse. It has Sonic in a giant ring wagging his finger, but the background is just a black screen and nothing else; the Game Gear is far weaker than the Genesis so I’ll let it slide. After pressing start we see a map that shows us where we are at that current moment. I think it’s a cool detail.

Before we enter the zones, let’s talk about Sonic’s controls and the in-game items. They’re actually kinda good in this one. It’s fairly well translated from the Genesis version and when you roll down a hill you go faster then in the Genesis version, that’s how it feels to me at least. Now for the items we have the rings, one ups, invincibility, speed up, and shield. These are all the same as in the Genesis, but the shield looks smaller. There are also sign posts at the end of each stage that give you something different depending on which one you get. If you get Eggman, nothing happens, rings will give you 10 rings, Sonic will give you 1 extra life baby, and if you have 50 or more rings, you go to the Special Stage.

For the Special Stage, you are in a room full of bumpers along with rings and the occasional continue. You can obtain extra lives here, but not emeralds. You may be asking, “Huh? Are there no emeralds in this game? Yes, there are, in fact, emeralds in this game. To get them you find them hidden in a varying act for all Zones. Also, they are all blue for some reason? I guess they are sapphires now (insert Hoenn trumpets here) Now we get to the Zones.

Like the Genesis version, Green Hill is the first Zone. Unlike the more well known version, this one is way less fun and memorable. It kinda does its job teaching the basics though. The hills that make you go fast and launch you in the air are fun, but it goes by so quickly. Act 2 is a little more memorable because you are in a water filled maze like cave and the warning signs that appear are also memorable but overall it’s just OK. The backgrounds try to replicate the Genesis version. I think it translated mostly well, but it looks more like a coastline now than a lake. You can also see and you can see the mountains in the background that look like they are floating. The enemies in the stage are the moto bug, crabmeat, and buzz bomber. When you reach the boss, you will see that it  might be a contender for the most pathetic boss in sonic history. He can attack you, but you never find out because he moves so slowly back and forth that he doesn’t get the chance to attack. Now, let’s head off to Marble Zone! Wait, it’s not Marble Zone??

We are now in Bride Zone (gets trampled by an army of Amy's in wedding dresses) er,  I mean BRIDGE Zone. The background is a nice mountainous scene.  It looks like we are above a river/lake. It also has nice clouds and water. Bridge Zone is a slightly better Zone than Green Hill. It has a slight challenge because of a great mechanic, a seesaw with a weight that you jump onto that makes you fly high into the air, but this zone has a huge flaw. Act 2 is an auto scroller. Yes, an annoying mechanic you find in Mario and Kirby games ( I know this came out before Kirby’s Dreamland, but still) Having it in a Sonic game, you know, a game where you should be going fast, seems kinda counterintuitive. I don't know what they were thinking. If you thought that was dumb and annoying, the boss of this Zone reveals one of my biggest issues with this game,  you don’t have any rings during the fight. It makes it more difficult than it should be to defeat it. The boss of this zone is Eggman in his unnamed mech. You fight on a bridge where Eggman pops up from side to side. When he rises up, that is the moment to attack. He also fires three projectiles at a diagonal angle. It seems simple but the fact you have no rings makes this fight unnecessary frustrating. Before I forget, the enemies for this Zone are spikes, choppers, and the returning buzz bomber. Now at the end of Bridge Zone, are we in the urban Spring Yard zone? Nope. Welcome to the jungle.

Jumping into Jungle Zone, this Zone is unfortunately the closest we have to a good Zone for this game. It’s a decent challenge with a good mix of speed and platforming in Act 1, and just platforming in Act 2. It does a good job conveying a jungle with lush vegetation, waterfalls, a river, and vines (fre sha voca do) There are fun platforms via logs with spikes, logs that fall from the waterfall that you can hop on to get across, and logs in the water that you can ride, that’s a lota logs! Act 2 has a huge flaw in the Master System release of this game. As you are climbing up, the death barrier below goes up with you. Truly stupid. Thankfully that horrible mechanic is not in the Game Gear version. This Zone's enemies are returning crabmeat and chopper, and the new newtron. Now, let’s climb this Zone’s boss. As you climb the vines, Eggman is found at the top. This fight is easy but again the lack of rings makes it slightly unfair. During the fight, Eggman drops cannon balls in a curved vine that slowly move back and forth, a flaw though is even if you beat Eggman, the balls can still hit you. Alright, what’s up next? Oh, great.

Welcome back to Labyrinth Zone! This Zone sucks for a different reason. Rather than hazards being placed in cheap spots, it is just so bbbbrrrrrooooiiinnngggly dull and forgettable. The view is like if you took the Genesis background but took away the vibrant colors and dulled them down black with blueish bricks. The stages try to use the spears and fire shooting statues to hit you, but they are so easy to dodge that it feels like there is no challenge at all. Also, the badniks feel way less threatening and even drowning barely feels like a possibility. Sonic is slow underwater again, but it feels even worse than before. I argue this might be even worse than the genesis version. Then there is the boss. At least this Labyrinth Zone has a real boss, Eggman in a submarine. If he rises from the bottom, he will launch energy balls, from the top, torpedoes. It's the closest thing to an ok boss in this game. This Zone just overall feels like a complete let down. I got so steamed I forgot to add the badniks. (jaws, burrowbot, orbinaut) After a worse version of an already bad stage, you might be thinking it’s time for Scrap Brain Zone now right?

(Plankton voice) CORRECT!! This version of Scrap Brain Zone is almost the opposite of the Genesis version. The Genesis version is chaotic fun and a good challenge, while this version is dull and forgettable like Labyrinth Zone. It tries its best to replicate the version we are more familiar with, with the outside having Eggman’s industrial polluting base, but it ends up just looking like a refinery in the evening. The interior tries to make it look more technological, but it’s just black with the occasional bit of machinery, but it does have fire vents and tesla coils. Act 2 can be bothersome because you have to find a hidden switch to access a hidden door, but it can take a while to get to. Act 1 is also just a complete straight line, come on man. Enemies for this zone are both new; cattakiller and ballhog. For the boss, you’ll see lots and lots of rings and may think, hmm, will this be a big grand epic boss? As Engineer TF2 said, “NOPE”. You just chase Eggman as he jumps on a platform and gets away. That is just a straight up troll move from the devs. With that, we’ve finally reached the end Zone of this very meh game.

Now for Sky Base Zone. AHHHH MY EYES!! This Zone already has a huge issue, it’s seizure inducing. The main gimmick of Act 1 is that there is an electrical grid that will go off every few seconds causing the screen to start flashing, not a very good start. Then there are these slow moving platforms you have to ride on to get to Eggman's blimp. Act 2 is just Robotnik’s blimp with turrets, buzzsaws, and a spike wall that chases after you, but you don’t see any of that if you go after the emerald in this stage because you are on the underside of the ship and avoid most of the harder traps. Act 1 seems as though you are on, from the looks of it, the highest parts of Scrap Brain. Act 2 is high in the clouds on a dark stormy night. The blimp looks OK; I've seen cooler looking blimps/zeppelins out there. Our last enemies in the game are orbinaut uniuni and the fittingly named bomb. This game's final boss is a prime example of why the no rings on bosses mechanic is a bad idea. First of all, every time you hit Eggman, the screen flashes. Sadly this is not the last time a Game Gear Sonic game will have flashing lights, it's a common issue in the Game Gear games. The fight is very simple but it's extremely frustrating. For one, the fire spires from the ground have a pattern but it’s hard to figure it out, and sometimes they will pop in front of Eggman resulting in a cheap death. There are also sparks, but those are easy to dodge. Overall this fight is quite unfair, though I might be a little impatient.

The ending for this game has Robotnik escaping back to Green Hill Zone, Sonic hot on his trail. Sonic appears directly above him, falling, and giving him one final blow. After, like the Genesis version, if you have the emeralds, they will come out of Sonic's hands and spiral into the sky going over the entirety of South Island and rid it of the pollution Eggman caused. As the credits begin to roll, Sonic appears and begins singing. I didn’t think he could get any more adorable! (Astro~) 

Speaking of music, this soundtrack is good, but a little unmemorable. I think it’s funny Green Hill is the only Zone that has the same theme as its Genesis counterpart, as Labyrinth and Scrap Brain have completely different themes. I think the level themes do a good job fitting the stages and the boss theme feels a little less sinister than the original. Mikey’s personal favorite themes are Scrap Brain and Jungle, while Astro’s are Labyrinth and, you may not know, but there is an unused version of Marble Zone that I absolutely love!

For the positives of this game, (there aren't that many) I really like the sprite work. I think these sprites need more love. The hidden emeralds are a cool idea, but some of the locations are ridiculous. I also like the soundtrack. 

Now for the negatives. The stage design is mostly boring and uninspired. Every time you get hit  you lose all your rings and don't get them back because you get hit back to back without invincibility frames. Bosses give you no rings, Labyrinth Zone can randomly freeze, and there is a lack of a save system.

Overall this is just a very forgettable game in my opinion. I know it’s on weaker hardware so I am being a little harsh, but it’s just OK to be honest. Mikey gives this game 3 chilidogs out of 10, and Astro gives the same as their opinion of the game is similar. 

Next we will be heading into 1992! But this time, it’s not a game, but the first ever issue of a legendary comic run. See ya’ there!

Credit to FCPlaythroughs for gameplay screenshots.

[chaogardenreviews]

Review of Sonic the Hedgehog for the Sega Genesis

HELLO EVERY-NYAN. (OH MY GAHH). Mikey (and Astro!) here. These are our honest thoughts and opinions on the legendary game that kicked off this insane franchise. (Astro will be popping in every once-in-a-while) Of course, before we start, you might ask, why are they doing this? Well, you see, (in a crazy Dave voice) BECAUSE WE’RE CRAAAAZY!!!! So without further ado, let’s begin!

Imagine, it’s June 23, 1991. You have been anticipating this day for months, the day the game with that funny little character you saw swinging back and forth from the rear-view mirror in the arcade game Rad Mobile comes to life in their very own game. Sonic the Hedgehog for the Sega Genesis. Sonic seems like a way past cool dude, he really dusts my doilies! You go to the store, buy the game, and pop it into your system settling down in front of your CRT, controller in hand, and are transferred to a world unlike any other.

Vibrant colors, cute critters inside of frightening robot creatures, inspired level designs, traps and treasures a like, and that dastardly Dr. Robotnik. This game entrances and mesmerizes you in your seat. You didn’t know it at the time, but this was a life changing moment, a milestone if you will, in your life. Or maybe you did, as feelings of awe and amazement courses through your system. You find yourself unable to stop playing; to put the controller down until you’ve explored every nook and cranny, and found every secret. Yes, you finally found the meaning to life.

Okay, maybe it’s not that deep, but if you're here reading this, we can all agree that the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise has had a very large impact on all of us and even if the first wasn’t YOUR first Sonic game, it is definitely an iconic and amazing start!

For the box art, we see that there is a reason it might be up there with the most recognizable Sonic game covers. Sonic is seen standing in his iconic pose, giving attitude and wagging his finger. He clashes slightly with the colors in the background, but I think that helps him stand out more. I think it’s really charming that the designers used his western rendition here. Behind him is a scene depicting different components of Green Hill Zone, including the spike bridge from Act 3. Astro notes that the angle of the cover is a nice touch and really ties the piece together. It really catches Sonic’s ‘cool factor’.

There isn’t much to note about the cartridge itself, (or disk if you’re playing on the Mega Collection) as it uses the same art as the box, just cut to fit. When you pop that sucker in, you are greeted with the well known “SEGA!!!” chime we all know and love. Then, in quick succession, we see the opening. A ring with wings and a ribbon that reads, “SONIC THE HEDGEHOG”. Woah! Suddenly Sonic pops up once again, wagging his finger with a mischievous look. 

We need to talk about the controls. Sonic controls relatively well. Being that these are momentum based controls, the level can go smoothly depending on how it is built around it. Stages that are straightforward use these mechanics the best, while in platform stages, Sonic is harder to direct around. Rolling down a hill in ball mode feels especially good.

Next are the items you can get throughout the stages. We all know about rings. When you collect one or more of these, you get an extra hit of damage, because without them, if you got hit once, it would be over! If you collect 100, you get an extra life! Nice! There are also T.V. boxes you can hit with different items in them. There are invincibility, shield, speed up, and life ones. With these, you can be invincible for a short duration, have an extra hit of damage, move faster for a bit, and gain an extra life! Pretty neat huh?

Now that we’ve looked at everything else, let’s get into the real meat and potatoes of it!

We start in good ol’ Green Hill Zone. What’s there to be said that has not already been said about this zone? It might be just as iconic as level 1-1 from Super Mario Bros. for the NES, but this isn’t about you Mario! Get back in your warp pipe! (warp pipe sounds).

In all three acts of GHZ, we see grassy hills in front of a clear blue lake surrounded by waterfalls and mountains. Very scenic. The first stage has an upper and lower path, each having their own risks. On the upper path, you go faster, but have a high chance of falling, and on the lower path, there are more traps. Littered throughout all stages are various enemies including motobugs that move slowly in one direction, buzz bombers that fly around and shoot, choppers that jump from under bridges, and neutrons (Jimmy Neutron anyone?) that go from invisible to visible, then drop to the ground before shooting off like a rocket. What? When you reach the end of act 3, you are met with the game's first boss, The Egg Wrecker. What is there to say about this boss? It’s Eggman’s eggmobile with a giant wrecking ball that swings back and forth. Is that really all? Huh, I thought there might be more to it. All you need to do is avoid the wrecking ball and jump up, hitting the eggmobile. Nice.

Next up is Marble Zone. Despite what others say about it, I really like this zone. Its visuals are great, showing us forested Roman/Greek ruins that extend into an underground maze of stone blocks, spike chandeliers and lava. The zone can be a little challenging as this is more of a platforming stage. You need to take it slow because of there being enemies and traps around each corner, including those spike chandeliers I mentioned. For the most part though, all three stages of this zone are a straight shot to the end. The enemies for this zone include the returning buzzbomber, the catakiller, who moves slowly back and forth and can be quite bothersome in tight hallways, and bat brains that swoop down to hit the player. Once again, at the end of act 3, we meet this game's second boss, The Egg Scorcher. Eggman arrives once again on his eggmobile; this time equipped with a spigot on the bottom. He floats back and forth, dropping fire onto the platforms. You just need to hop around while hitting Eggman to beat him. It’s honestly a little bit of a pathetic boss. Now let’s crash into some bumpers! (then I crashed into you holy Gadunka)

We are now in-dumroll please! Spring Yard Zone! This zone is a definite switch up from the last two. We can see a lush lower background, but as we look higher, we see a city scape with an amazing purple hue. The part we traverse is like an abandoned industrial pinball machine, filled with bumpers and springs, and signs that say…Cope? Sure I guess. This is an interesting zone because, while it gives you the opportunity to go fast through the stage, it is best taken slow because of all the obstacles; it’s like a hybrid between a speed and platforming based stage. Returning enemies for this zone are buzzbombers and crabmeats; new enemies are rollers who roll at high speeds before stopping, then rolling again, and spikes (Astro thinks these badniks are really cute!) who are crab-like enemies who, say it with me folks, move slowly back and forth. You can’t stomp these enemies though because they have spikes on their back. Who would have guessed. At the end of this zone’s act 3, we are met with The Egg Stinger. What’s with this dude's obsession with naming things after eggs!? This is another really simple boss. Eggman is in the eggmobile once again. This time it is fitted with a spike on the bottom. He will move back and forth (are you sick of me saying “back and forth” yet?) and impale the ground where Sonic is standing. Just avoid this and jump on him until he is defeated. Now, let’s get to drowning!....waIT WAIT-

GURGLE We now arrive in the zone from this game with the most negative opinions and memories, Labyrinth Zone! Here we find a sandy-colored abandoned ruin (we think it could have been an ancient Mobian civilization!), surrounded by draping vines, colorful crystals, and puzzle switches around every corner. Oh, and who could forget, the water, everyone’s ‘favorite’ feature from this zone. For this zone, we have all new enemies, being, burrow-bot who leaps out of the ground, jaws, a piranha bot that swims around, and orbinaut unidus that throw four spike balls, one at a time till their core is uncovered. This zone's boss…isn’t even really a boss? I mean, it’s found at the end of act 3, but you don’t even fight Eggman, just chase him as he floats upward through a narrow hall littered with obstacles and the threat of rising water. Now, if you are thinking I’m of the opinion that this zone is super frustrating and the hardest one in the game, you are partially right. I don’t think the drowning is the frustrating part. Actually, if you just stop at every breathing bubble, you should have no problem getting through it. The real frustrating part is the obstacles and the enemy placement. This zone is very much a platforming one. If you try to go fast, you will quickly lose your rings. Just take it slow and you should be alright.

Starlight Zone is the most divisive zone between Astro and I. I think it’s quite the refresher after such a slow zone, while Astro thinks it is very bland and is over too quickly. This zone is another city scape from the perspective of a partially finished construction site (my interpretation) surrounded by a starry night sky. Finally, we are in a speed based zone again! You quickly zip around with the help of springs and ramps; just be careful not to run into any enemies on the way! Once again, there are no returning enemies in this zone. For the new ones, there are bombs (creative name I know) that walk and explode, and orbinaut uniuni that just float surrounded by their spike balls instead of throwing them. The Eggspiker is this zone's boss, and my favorite boss in the game. It’s a creative fight where Eggman drops spiked balls on seesaws and you have to launch either yourself or the spike ball up onto the Eggspiker to attack him. Simple, but effective.  

Now for our final zone, the insanity that is Scrap Brain Zone. In act one, we start outside Eggman’s fortress in an industrial metropolis full of metal and smokestacks. Machinery surrounds us at every angle under a polluted yellow sky. In act two we enter his fortress with a mechanic background, at the end, Eggman is standing beyond a forcefield and hops on a button crumbling the floor below us causing us to fall into act three, a grey replica of Labyrinth Zone. SBZ is by far the most challenging zone in this game and is a healthy mix of speed based and platform based. Enemies and obstacles are around every corner, buzzsaws, fire pillars, teslacoils, nowhere is safe here. Most of the enemies are returning, such as catakiller, bomb, burrow-bot, jaws, and orbinaut unidus, and there is only one new enemy, ballhog who stays stationary while shooting balls. The final boss of this game is called the Egg Crusher. The boss is basically the entire room, well, part of it. Eggman descends or ascends in four different large pillars in an attempt to crush Sonic. It’s easy enough to avoid. You also need to watch out for the electric balls that a bulb tosses out after every hit. Once defeated he grovels at our feet. Wait, HE’S RUNNING AWAY, GET HIM! Jump as Eggman starts flying away to get one last hit on him. Finally! We are finished with the first game in the series! But there is still more to talk about. 

You may have noticed I haven’t mentioned an important part of the game, the Special Stage. After you complete an act with fifty rings, a large one appears at the end that you jump into. The area you end up in is unlike anything we’ve seen in the game. Sonic is placed into a spinning pinball like maze where your goal is to find where this one’s chaos emerald is. The background is filled with bright colors and animals that flash back and forth between the different ones. Something that may surprise you about this game is that you only have to collect 6 emeralds to get the true ending.

In the true ending Sonic is seen back in Green Hill Zone running around with all the animal buddies we saved. Sonic pulls out the chaos emeralds as they begin to float and glow causing large flowers to grow. Sonic then jumps into an amazing pose signaling the end of the game. However, if you don’t collect all of the chaos emeralds, Eggman will be seen at the end of the stage juggling them while laughing. Hey!!

The music for this game is extremely iconic, says Astro, but we both know there is better music to come in the following games. Mikey’s personal favorite themes are Labyrinth Zone and Scrap Brain Zone, Astro’s are Spring Yard Zone and the Special Zones. Overall some definite bangers here!

Here are my overall thoughts on the game. I think it was good for its time, but as technology progressed and games changed how they were played, I think it didn’t age too well. The thing I dislike most about the game is easily the lack of save system, ESPECIALLY, if you play on the original hardware. Thankfully rereleases like the Mega Collection fixed this problem. Another problem is level inconsistency, being, most of the zones are platform based in what you think would be a more speed heavy game. Also, random cheap shots from enemies that make you lose all your progress trying to save up for the special zone.

Parting thoughts. I think people of all ages love and will love this game, even if it can be challenging at some points, I think it is a rewarding one. This game was the beginning for so many fans and for that, I can’t help but hold it in a special place in my heart and will always thank it for what it accomplished for its era. Overall, I give it 6/10 chilidogs, and Astro gives it 7/10. 

Next time, join Astro and I to talk about a weaker game in the series.

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