Sonic 1 has to be looked at in the context of the time. The momentum achieved in levels like Green Hill, Spring Yard, & Star Light were so unlike anything anyone had ever seen in a platformer that it in combination with genuinely great character designs went a long way in making up for the slog experiences that were Marble, Labyrinth, & (to a lesser degree) Scrap Brain.
That this game overshadowed Super Mario World (a game generally regarded to be better in hindsight) demonstrates just how mindblowing playing it really was for people in 1991.
While much of the more traditional stage design was by necessity (it would have taken even more time and learned skills to replicate the organic flow of Green Hill for every stage) in a sense I think it might have been for the best. Sonic 1 introducing speedy momentum while still having more familiar level elements to platformer fans may have made for an easier transition for fans than outright having a Sonic 2 style release right from the beginning. 1 allowed people to essentially walk so they could be best prepared to run in 2.
CD is in its own way is a bit a what if title where the series went in a more exploration emphasized direction than the speedier one in Sonic 2. The level design still entirely works for Sonic, its just that the speed was even harder to earn in it and from a marketing standpoint it lacks the immediate spectacle of 2 and even the original game to a degree. Its a release that I suspect might have gotten a "Kirby's Dreamland 3 after Kirby Super Star" esque backlash had it come out on the Genesis rather than the more niche Sega CD.
As it was Sonic CD was basically the forbidden fruit/hidden gem title that in some ways couldn't be entirely fairly assessed until the 2011 port which both got it to mass audiences easily and (via its physics engine/graphic fixes) could allow it to be judged for its core design philosophy, whether positively or negatively.
Edited by BorneAgain on Dec 4th 2022 at 9:50:40 AM
Sonic CD, ironically, is the Tails to Sonic 2's Sonic.
Edited by diddyknux on Dec 4th 2022 at 8:51:35 AM
I agree that for its time Sonic 1 was a marvel, it's just shocking to me how long this game was held up as one of the best by diehards when looking back it's barely decent. If I were of a different mind I would call Sonic 1 outright bad now, but I did have fun with it on my own terms so I'll let it go.
From the sounds of it, I should play CD next so I have a better transition into Sonic's 2 better gameplay and level design. Otherwise I would have played CD after 2 instead.
CD is an enjoyable time, though I would say that understanding the level layout is critical to best enjoying it, to the point where utilizing Tails first to get a better sense of the stages is something I often recommend to first time players. I generally think that the criticism about the classic games punishing you for going fast is somewhat unwarranted but there are sections in CD which do ring a tad true in that regard.
Edited by BorneAgain on Dec 4th 2022 at 10:22:21 AM
And it's always been the best game in the series.
Rules of the Internet 45. Rule 45 is a lie. Check out my art if you notice.Sonic 1's gameplay loop is basically "Weee-*thunk*, weee-*thunk*" repeatedly. Fast and free-wheeling Green Hill to plodding Marble, energetic Spring Yard to the series' first water level Labyrinth, dynamic (and uniquely-themed for the time) Star Light to trap-laden Scrap Brain and its Labyrinth rehash third act. It's a very obvious 'first effort' from before they got a good feel for how the series would play later on.
I'd say Super Mario Bros, Sonic, & DKC 1 all fall into that category where their first respective games left such a fantastic first impression that their legacy largely holds up even when its openly acknowledged by many that various sequels ended up being better games. For the most part they're all fairly playable to even to younger fans (lack of convenient save system on the original versions notwithstanding). At least compared with say the aforementioned Street Fighter 1 or even a Mega Man 1, there's much less outright unfair elements to them.
Edited by BorneAgain on Dec 4th 2022 at 12:59:16 PM
Mario 1 has a "save system"...
Just not if you turn the game off.
Rules of the Internet 45. Rule 45 is a lie. Check out my art if you notice.Another neat comparison between the English and Japanese Frontiers script is what The End says when freed.
English: Since time immemorial, I have languished here. The locks are broken. Now I shall tear down the walls between dimensions and consume all.
Japanese: The promised time for the fulfillment of my desire is near. O half-body bound to this land...my presence is beyond the azure skies!
The Protomen enhanced my life.Yeah... But it lacks the Arc Words "Tear down the wall between dimensions." Dubs can add their own flavor, but when they change or miss plot beats and characterization? Iffy.
Although, I guess in the Japanese version, the Arc Words may not be present in the first place?
Edited by diddyknux on Dec 4th 2022 at 4:57:48 AM
Well this is just adorable: Black Doom asked Ian Flynn
what Shadow is doing for the holidays. (Or Eclipse. Hard to tell.)
EDIT: Awww
at a question where someone asked about Starline, Agent Stone, and Thunderbolt teaming up to get rid of Sage out of jealousy. Ian said instead of doing that, they'd fight for Sage's favor as the next generation of Eggman XD
Edited by lalalei2001 on Dec 5th 2022 at 4:22:09 AM
The Protomen enhanced my life.Obnoxious gloating and ferocious Fandom Rivalry with Genshin on Reddit, but that's to be expected. Not sure about anywhere else; the only other fan things I'm on are a couple of Discords that don't really care about those sorts of things.
I'm more surprised that GoW and ER are that low. I know Player's Voice is strictly a fanbase popularity category, but you'd think the AAA games would have AAA fanbases that would blow the likes of Sonic's notorious fanbase out of the water.
Edited by Negacube on Dec 6th 2022 at 3:50:44 PM

I just finished playing Sonic the Hedgehog 1 from the Sonic Origins collection. Well, more like I started Story Mode and quit playing Sonic 1 half-way through when I learned I could play as Super Sonic in the first game if I used the Level Select screen in the Anniversary Mode. So I did that instead, first by grinding coins in Mission Mode for tons of Special Stage retries then turning on 7 Emeralds for Sonic 1.
Turns out using Level Select also fixing the speed cap issues with the Drop Dash in Sonic 1, so while I was there I also added Sonic 3's Elemental Shields and Insta-Shield to make the game more tolerable to explore in places like Labyrinth Zone. I I got all 7 emeralds by Labyrinth Zone Act 2 and had a blast making a joke out of as much of the game left as I could playing Super Sonic. Then the final boss is just no rings but try not to get smashed by giant pillars. THIS game creating an iconic franchise feels like a fluke at times.