Sonic the Hedgehog 2

The Good
The music is some of the best in all of videogamedom. I downloaded a winamp plugin and ripped the music to mp3s to play on my i-pod. Each level offers something new - new music, new obstacles, new environs, new bosses. It's a rather lengthy game, and there is so much to do, making it very rewarding to beat.

The Bad
Metropolis Zone didn't really need to have 3 Acts. After playing Sonic 3 and being able to save one's game, it makes one wish that Sonic 2 would allow such opportunities.

The Bottom Line
It's a fast-paced, side-scrolling platform game. You play as a blue hedgehog named Sonic, for his ability to run fast, and in this game, ball up on the ground and dash forward by spinning. At times you feel like sonic is just a free-moving pinball in a vast pinball world (hence why Sega came out with Sonic Spinball), but the game is so well constructed, Sonic never goes out of control. You must learn to use the speed and the unique mechanics of the game to your advantage, especially in the boss fights, which are always a good fun challenge without being aggravating. When one tries to think of an old 2D platform game that sort of defines the genre, Sonic 2 (even more than the other Sonic games) is conjured by far the most.

The Good
What's not to like? This game is fast, colourful and frenetic!

The game introduces Tails the fox and although this doesn't have much impact on the gameplay (except in 2 player mode) it does make the screen busier and more interesting. The game also introduced the "standing spin" (i.e. down and jump to charge a spin along the ground), which was necessary after having areas in the first game where you could quite easily get stuck.

Where gameplay is concerned, you should know what to expect from a Sonic game :- progress from the left to right as fast as possible, then repeat!

I believe this is the best game in the series for the following reasons:

• Faster and bigger than Sonic 1
• Still new enough to be fresh
• Highlight / Shadow Genesis VDP features used to great effect, i.e. gorgeous graphics!
• All the features of the sequels but none of the fluff

This game sold more copies than the bible, and rightly so; it's arguably the best game Sega produced for a console!

The Bad
There's not much to dislike, but I've always thought it was a touch on the easy side!

The Bottom Line
Why are you reading this? Go and play it!

The Good
In Sonic The Hedgehog 2 you reprise the role of Sonic that little hedgehog who took the world by storm with a sidekick Miles “Tails” Prower once again taking on Robotnik and saving their animal friends with a new character to play as with new abilities and improving everything from Sonic 1 makes this a truly great game Sonic can now spin dash and Tails can fly.

Continuing the tradition of fast paced gameplay with new blast processing and improved graphics a new quasi 3D special stage but now when you get all (now 7 emeralds) you become SuperSonic who is invincible this one also improves gameplay with a more balanced difficulty and more stages and this game continued to prove of Sega’s prowess at making better games than Nintendo and further boosting the Genesis to new heights of popularity.

The Bad
This game does have it’s fair share of annoying levels like oil ocean, metropolis(cool music though) and mystic cave also having Tails with you hardly helps more of a hindrance specially on the special stages to the point where you are better off playing with just Sonic.

The added two player mode is hardly any fun if any at all but it’s a added feature right?

The Bottom Line
Overall a great genesis title proving that the power of the system is not as important as the selection of games in it’s library and considering how the SNES had a better sound chip Genesis games had better music.

The Good
First off, Sega was smart enough not to mess with the original product enough to alienate the fans of the original. Sonic 2 maintained the high-speed scrolling interface and merely sped it up. Now Sonic didn't seem to be on the verge of falling off the top of the loop without power sneakers. In addition, they added the now famous character of Tails, although his role was more for show than for help. New enemies and landscapes showcased the vast capabilities of the Genesis platform. Casino Night was awesome, and Sega added a clever element by tossing in the slot machines. What an idea to essentially "gamble" for rings. It wasted so much time, but who cared. Flashing lights, loud noises; they put and eight-year-old such as myself at the time of its release in heaven. I'll give anyone who became a gambling addict because of this game one million dollars.
And the music...I have the theme to the Chemical Plant Zone on my MP3 collection; it is that good. Though I wasn't a fan of the Aquatic Ruin theme, it fit the zone, which makes up for the deficiency of quality in the tune. After all, the music was done by an actual band. Not all tunes are awesome. I also enjoyed the 2-player format, which was far superior to the weak race five laps format of Sonic 3. This version rocked as it was a true race through actual zones and the fabulous 3-D Special Stage, perhaps the first of its kind. I loved that stage with its race-like appearance and general wackiness To further accentuate the 2-player zones, the music changed for each. Personally, I preferred the 2-player Casino Night theme. I could not stand the underwater Labyrinth Zone from Sonic 1, so I'm especially grateful for a choice of paths for Aquatic Ruin.

The Bad
While Tails proved an invaluable asset in Sonic 3, he acted as little more than an orange fuzzball when you played with both Sonic and Tails. You always controlled Sonic, so occasionally you'd rocket ahead, forcing the young fox to feebly helicopter his way back to keep up. At times, the game got almost too fast, especially at points in Chemical Plant. If you rolled rather than ran down a particular hill in Act 2, the game would lose track of Sonic as he powered down the slippery slope. Oil Ocean Zone!! Those sea horses were everywhere. Especially at the top of the lifts where you couldn't see them. It became a game of lose your rings, kill the horse, get the rings back before it fires another projectile. Most of the bosses were too easy, especially the first three, where it was just hit Robotnik while he's fueling the Egg-o-Matic. Simple. That said, I still haven't beaten the game because the final boss is impossible. The least they could have done is provide the guy with a ring or two to give Sonic a fighting chance. While the linkage with Sonic and Knuckles is innovative, I wish you could've chosen your character rather than having to play as the echidna. As Knuckles, the whole game, except for the final boss is a cinch due to lower ring requirements in the Special Stages. I had all the Emeralds by the end of Chemical Plant. Which leads me to another thing; why'd you always lose your rings after entering the Special Stage. It makes no sense.

The Bottom Line
Overall, a fabulously designed game from Sega. Try it linked with Sonic and Knuckles for an extra twist, but on it's own it's outstanding. This may be the best of the Genesis games through 1992 with its simple yet intelligent gameplay. Definitely a must buy.

The Good
Well the thing to like about this is that it dosen't radically change the sonic formula. Sonics still fast, the levels are still fun, but the thing is everything SEGA did to this game to make it better. They could have just made some new stages and say"That's it" But they didn't. They introduced a lot of cool things such as spin dash, super sonic and tails, which didn't make it feel like Sonic the Hedgehog Directors cut. The music in it, is top class, with bouncy tunes, slow tunes which just makes the experience a lot better. The special stages are fun and the best in all of Sonic and there are more zones (Although, most only have two acts opposed to the original's three). Plus the two player modes are a nice addition, as they are fun and allow two people to go through the adventure (and versus each other) together.

The Bad
My only bad point? Tails is useless. He can't fly in single player so what's the point of putting him in in the first place? Also, the two player versus mode only has three zones and the special stage.

The Bottom Line
This is the definite sonic experience. If you've never played it, play it now. And I mean NOW.

The Good
Where do you start? Ingenious levels, unforgettable music, great bosses, impressive special stages, new character.

The Bad
Not all the levels are available for multi-player play. No save game.

The Bottom Line
You absolutely must find a way to play this game.

The Good
I completely loved it! The Chaos Emeralds are back, you can use Super Sonic, all kinds of neat things!

The Bad
I have nothing to say on this part, actually. It was one of the best games I had ever played.

The Bottom Line
Very good, I would suggest that you go buy this game right here, right now. if you don't a Genesis, that's fine. You can buy a Nintendo GameCube, or a PS2 and also buy Sonic Mega Collection (or for PS2, Sonic Mega Collection PLUS)