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[Jaded Alyx]

When you play Mario, do you wonder if you should break open boxes?

The funny thing is unlike ? Blocks, you can see what is inside the monitors before you got them.

 

[NintendosBooger]

Racing games give you guide posts on what to do. You get a track overview before you start as we as an in game map.

Sonic doesn't give you this, and your field of view isn't huge ergo you end up hitting spikes and shit you didn't know were there cause the player has no reason to know at least on the first play through.

Mario does this too, but you never are going too fast, and you can stop on a dime. Plus the levels are better designed with regards to pits and spikes.

I was referring to the general concept of speed between the two games.

Speed is encouraged and the corners in racing games are equivalent to your spikes and pitfalls in Sonic where that speed needs to be reined in (or at least redirected) to successfully negotiate the obstacle.

 

[Glass Shark]

How can you say going fast was “just marketing” when the levels are built with boosters and loops and things? I just don’t get that.

 

[Chao]

Eh... its very simple. You just play the game, and the game will teach you how to play it through level design.

It's not rocket science to be honest, but if your question is "should I just press forward and run fast?"

Well, try that and see what happens 😐

 

[Triggerhappytel]

You can play it slow if you want or faster if you want. Take the higher paths or the lower paths. It's completely up to you to decide! I tend to play at mid-speed and collect a lot of stuff, but I've not played a Sonic game properly since the Mega Drive. Didn't even like Generations all that much.

 

[ShemhazaiX]

You play them like every other platforming game.

Jump over obstacles and dodge enemies and hazards.

If you like platforming games, then hey, you'll probably like Sonic. If you don't like platforming games, well, you probably won't like Sonic.

Rings are just Mario coins. TVs are just power ups. Bonus levels are for Chaos Emeralds for secret ending or whatever.

 

[Mesoian]

All of the arrogant, patronizing shitposting is really helpful guys, thanks.

This series' entire identity revolves around speed. The focus of the game seems to be, at least judging by advertisements and such, to complete a level as fast as humanly possible. Sonic's all about that speed and Mario is slow and old, right? So when the game's entire focus is supposedly on speed, it seems counterintuitive to have vast areas that are just ripe for exploration and secret rewards that would benefit the gameplayer. These areas are just completely skipped if you play the game that way it's advertised. It seems to me that you'd miss out on literally the majority of the game if you just played it for speed.

I'm in my 30s by the way and I've been an avid game player for about 27 years.



This poster said it well, too.

Like, honestly, I don't know what kind of response you're looking for when you're basing the "idea" of sonic on memes and marketing opposed to just playing the game. You said it yourself, the game is rife with areas to explore with secrets to find and hidden goals to achieve, and I guess if you're going to play the game once and only once, you'll miss that stuff. But they are platformers, fairly short ones, can generally be finished in about 2 hours. Clearly, there's more than one path for more than on experience.

It's not like the games don't teach you how to play them through themeing, they do. Which is why I think everyone is asking if you've actually played one, because all of these elements you seem confused about are made very obvious by the end of the first stage. Hell, Sonic 3 forces you into a bonus stage at the beginning of 1-2 to show you that the giant rings are hidden in each stage.

I don't know what response you're looking for other than, "yeah man, I don't get either, Sonic is, like, so weird! I heard he kisses girls at some point? Wierd, bad games."

 

[Combichristoffersen]

This series' entire identity revolves around speed. The focus of the game seems to be, at least judging by advertisements and such, to complete a level as fast as humanly possible. Sonic's all about that speed and Mario is slow and old, right? So when the game's entire focus is supposedly on speed, it seems counterintuitive to have vast areas that are just ripe for exploration and secret rewards that would benefit the gameplayer. These areas are just completely skipped if you play the game that way it's advertised. It seems to me that you'd miss out on literally the majority of the game if you just played it for speed.

The marketing focused on speed as a way to show off how much faster the Genesis/Mega Drive was compared to the SNES. But the classic Sonic games were never really about going blazingly fast all the time. Speed was, you could say, something a) you were rewarded by exploring and learning the levels to figure out the fastest route (like replaying GHZ to figure out how to blast through it in less than 30 seconds), or b) the game gave you as a treat (like in Chemical Plant Zone in Sonic 2 where the game sends you off at a speed that makes Sonic go faster than the screen can scroll). The games can, in some levels, be played either way you like, but exploring rewards you more than blazing through does. So yeah, blame the marketing for focusing solely on the speed gimmick, not the games for being what they are.

 

[AEREC]

I never understood how Sonic games are meant to be played either, I've never seen a game with so much counter intuitive gameplay.

The series is just not for me.

 

[Zee-Row]

Gotta go fast

 

[Geddy]

OP, your post summarizes my feelings towards the franchise entirely. I've heard so much great stuff about Sonic games since the very beginning, and I've probably tried to get into roughly 5 of them, spread throughout the years. Probably the only one that ever resonated with me was the Dreamcast one (Sonic Adventure, I think?), and even that game was super broken physics-wise and some of the levels I really didn't like.

Recently picked up Sonic Generations on the 3DS thinking, "this is it - I'm finally going to get into Sonic games!" Couldn't stand it. I love the music and that carried me through a few levels, but I just kept running into bad guys and losing all my rings. The 2D ones feel too "zoomed in" -- I can't even see what's coming up, but I need to move fast to keep my momentum to get anywhere.

I'd invariably end up not having enough speed to get up a loop de loop, so I'd awkwardly turn around and walk back to the bottom, to have to run back and get my speed going.. to abruptly end it all by smashing into a bad guy.

The controlling of Sonic felt super slippery in every single 2D installment I've played, and even attempting to hurt bad guys almost never works.

I just don't get the appeal at all. All of the excitement of Sonic Mania makes me want to try it out, but I just know I won't like it at all.

Half of the core mechanics seem to contrast with the other half. "Gotta go fast!" "Can't go too fast!" Well which one is it, then??

EDIT: Furthermore, the "3D" ones out on 3DS and other systems look like something I might actually like, but everyone always says they're terrible (Sonic Boom, Sonic Lost World, etc). But here's the thing - I think all the 2D games are terrible and I just can't get into them, so maybe the 3D ones _would_ be for me?

Just not worth the gamble IMO, there are plenty of franchises I do enjoy, I don't need to like Sonic. And neither does anyone else!

 

[Nepenthe]

Boosting = going fast. I have only played the classic Sonic games.

Oh dear....

Boosting is a defined term in the franchise as it is a specific maneuver in the newer 3D games. It is completely different from merely running fast or Spin Dashing in terms of physics and effect on game balance and level design, and it should never be used when referring to anything in the classic style games.

 

[ChackanKun]

I just..played and had fun when I was a kid. Trying to reach the end of each level im order to win the game.

Isn't this what all platforms are like?

Seems like gamers that skipped the 16bit gen and in some cases the 32bit gen should go play some games from those eras.

 

[Boke1879]

It's pretty straightforward to me.

 

[w0s]

I just play them any way I like. Explore where I want, go fast in certain sections, etc.

 

[LegendofLex]

This series' entire identity revolves around speed. The focus of the game seems to be, at least judging by advertisements and such, to complete a level as fast as humanly possible. Sonic's all about that speed and Mario is slow and old, right? So when the game's entire focus is supposedly on speed, it seems counterintuitive to have vast areas that are just ripe for exploration and secret rewards that would benefit the gameplayer. These areas are just completely skipped if you play the game that way it's advertised. It seems to me that you'd miss out on literally the majority of the game if you just played it for speed.

There are a few things going on in Sonic that differentiate it from other platformers, and they mostly revolve around speed/momentum:

- There are loop-de-loops that you can either run through (by gaining momentum) or jump on top of to get extra rings, items, and sometimes checkpoints (which often requires either skilled platforming or creative use of momentum)

- There are steep slopes that it's hard to run up if you haven't built up speed/momentum. Sometimes these slopes are fully vertical, which you can't take advantage of at all without high speed. (The "Casino/Carnival/Pinball" level motif is designed to give you a playground for experimenting with this.)

- Various other level design elements (spiraling paths, corkscrews, speed boosters, springs, etc.) also focus on speed, either as a requirement to use them (spiral paths, corkscrews) or as tools for building speed that can either help or hinder you (speed boosters, springs).

These things interplay with traditional platforming design to give you unique challenges that don't really exist in other platformers.

The idea isn't "you have to beat the level as fast as possible." The idea is "speed is a tool that you can use in lots of different ways." The levels are designed to challenge you to figure out when to use your speed, and when to use your conventional platforming skills.

They play up the character's speed because it's what sets him (and his games) apart from the crowd.

 

[Mama Robotnik]

I'm playing Sonic Mania for the first time today [NO SPOILERS FOLLOW]. I'm about five or six zones in, its amazing. I'm also playing it slowly, exploring a lot, going quickly sometimes but often stopping just to take things in and look for secrets. Its great.

The original Sonic games were not all about speed - that was marketing. See Marble Zone, Hill Top, Hidden Palace, Launch Base, Mystic Cave, Metallic Madness, etc. Complex levels at a standard platforming pace. They were platforming experiences, not rollercoasters.

After Sonic and Knuckles was released on 1994, Sonic Team began to believe their own marketing and thought that the original games were all about SPEED SPEED SPEED and nothing else, and made dozens of clumsy uncontrollable buggy messy games that were really really fast and (in my opinion) really really terrible.

Sonic Mania returns to the idea of Sonic being a platformer first and foremost, and it does it brilliantly.

 

[NimbusD]

It astounds me that a game series with five discrete actions the player can do at most is so hard for some people to wrap their heads around.

You can run. You can jump. You can roll into a ball by pressing down. That's the extent of the knowledge you need to play these games.

Yeah... The goal is to beat the game. Not much different from any other side scrolling platformer. There's branching paths which are fun to explore on replays, there's powerhouse to help you survive and reach new places, there's things that help you survive and give you 1 ups...

That's it. If that's confusing, I don't think anyone can help you.

The controlling of Sonic felt super slippery in every single 2D installment I've played, and even attempting to hurt bad guys almost never works.

I really have to see some of u guys play video games... How are you not able to hurt enemies in a basic platformer?

 

[Nintendo's Witch]

Speed is beneficial for maintaining momentum often for the 'upper routes', as in staying as close to the top of the screen throughout the stage. That route most often features the greatest rewards and the quickest path to the goal(sometimes most laden with secrets along the way as well).

The reason you get frustrated with spikes and pits and other brickwall obstacles is that the lower routes usually act as a form of punishment. They are designed to often be a bit slower, force the player to pause and consider ways to reach higher ground again to get back to the loop-de-loops and ramps and coin staches, etc...

The games don't spell it out really, so I understand it can be alarming and confounding for players to think "push right, go fast, WTF not working!!??" but there is skill in trying to balance speed and keep on that chosen route. The satisfaction and thrills are seeped in doing so. Give it a try next play.

Great post. Sums it up nicely.

 

[RagnarokX]

How can you say going fast was ”just marketing" when the levels are built with boosters and loops and things? I just don't get that.

There are fast sections and there are sections where you should take your time. Both types of sections are obvious. When you try to barrel through a section clearly meant for careful platforming and swarming with enemies without learning the layout first your failure is on you. That kind of section is meant for turning off your brain, holding right, and spamming the jump button. Like any game you can learn level layouts and practice and then you can go through those as fast as possible.

 

[sanstesy]

Oh dear....

Boosting is a defined term in the franchise as it is a specific maneuver in the newer 3D games. It is completely different from merely running fast or Spin Dashing in terms of physics and effect on game balance and level design, and it should never be used when referring to anything in the classic style games.

Thanks for the Sonic history lesson!

 

[jon bones]

Like, honestly, I don't know what kind of response you're looking for

something above the dozen braindead gameFAQs-level posts, i imagine - like this good one:

Speed is beneficial for maintaining momentum often for the 'upper routes', as in staying as close to the top of the screen throughout the stage. That route most often features the greatest rewards and the quickest path to the goal(sometimes most laden with secrets along the way as well).

The reason you get frustrated with spikes and pits and other brickwall obstacles is that the lower routes usually act as a form of punishment. They are designed to often be a bit slower, force the player to pause and consider ways to reach higher ground again to get back to the loop-de-loops and ramps and coin staches, etc...

The games don't spell it out really, so I understand it can be alarming and confounding for players to think "push right, go fast, WTF not working!!??" but there is skill in trying to balance speed and keep on that chosen route. The satisfaction and thrills are seeped in doing so. Give it a try next play.

 

[Phediuk]

How can you say going fast was “just marketing” when the levels are built with boosters and loops and things? I just don’t get that.

It is a platformer with a pinball gimmick. That's it. It's literally one button. You run, jump, roll, and spin. Sometimes you build up momentum and go fast. Other times you have to be slow and careful. The game signposts when you can go fast and when you can't.

Frankly, I do not think this thread is made in good faith. Imagine if I made a thread about Mario and said, "wtf is this shit? How am I supposed to play? Do I get the mushrooms? Do I get the pipes? wtf, there's a run button too? Should I walk, or should I run? Should I stop and hit all the blocks? Should I collect all the coins? This is so confusing. This is bullshit!" That is literally the equivalent of what people are doing itt.

 

[Gestault]

the goal is to make it to the end of the stage in less than ten minutes. whatever else you do is up to you.

Exactly. This is why I haven't understood some of these design criticisms over the years for the better-regarded 2D sonic games (particularly the 16-bit titles, the Advance games, and now even more so with Mania). These concerns can be over-wrought and frankly, so obtuse that it's hard to assume the speaker is even giving the pretense of sincerity. I don't believe for a second Digitalrelic considered playing the game, but was so paralyzed in their confusion about the role of rings or whether they "may" explore the level that they stopped to create a thread, rather than (1) observing how the game behaves by playing it or watching it, (2) looking at any of the myriad game guides or overviews written over the years about the play style, or (3) just simply deciding they didn't like it and putting it down to play something else.

"Confusion" at whether players should go quickly through levels or try to find every item is such a universal aspect of playing almost any game that I can't believe anyone is that dense. The answer is "human agency determines how important it is to speed vs collecting all items." You find out what's in the boxes by collecting the boxes. Players may not like the game, which is totally fine, but these concerns (like in the OP) have little substance.

It wouldn't surprise me, even a little bit, if after someone replies with play suggestions, Digitalrelic ends up retorting at some point with an overly specific negative treatise on the game design, which is a huge red flag for someone asking such basic questions initially. My spider sense tells me a 30-year-old Sonic-vs-Mario binary may be involved.

 

[Mesoian]

OP, your post summarizes my feelings towards the franchise entirely. I've heard so much great stuff about Sonic games since the very beginning, and I've probably tried to get into roughly 5 of them, spread throughout the years. Probably the only one that ever resonated with me was the Dreamcast one (Sonic Adventure, I think?), and even that game was super broken physics-wise and some of the levels I really didn't like.

Recently picked up Sonic Generations on the 3DS thinking, "this is it - I'm finally going to get into Sonic games!" Couldn't stand it. I love the music and that carried me through a few levels, but I just kept running into bad guys and losing all my rings. The 2D ones feel too "zoomed in" -- I can't even see what's coming up, but I need to move fast to keep my momentum to get anywhere.

I'd invariably end up not having enough speed to get up a loop de loop, so I'd awkwardly turn around and walk back to the bottom, to have to run back and get my speed going.. to abruptly end it all by smashing into a bad guy.

The controlling of Sonic felt super slippery in every single 2D installment I've played, and even attempting to hurt bad guys almost never works.

I just don't get the appeal at all. All of the excitement of Sonic Mania makes me want to try it out, but I just know I won't like it at all.

Half of the core mechanics seem to contrast with the other half. "Gotta go fast!" "Can't go too fast!" Well which one is it, then??

EDIT: Furthermore, the "3D" ones out on 3DS and other systems look like something I might actually like, but everyone always says they're terrible (Sonic Boom, Sonic Lost World, etc). But here's the thing - I think all the 2D games are terrible and I just can't get into them, so maybe the 3D ones _would_ be for me?

Just not worth the gamble IMO, there are plenty of franchises I do enjoy, I don't need to like Sonic. And neither does anyone else!

It's almost as if you have to get used to the game's physics or something. Crazy.

 

[Inuhanyou]

Sonic 1 was never about speed, it was much more about platforming than going fast. You could not even crouch dash. Sonic 2, 3 and Knuckles were much more about gaining speed with lighter platforming segments breaking up the action.

 

[UpperCaseN]

heh, I asked this same question in the Stupid Gaming Questions thread like 2 days ago. My biggest question was, "Should I be collecting the chaos emeralds or is that not necessary to merely beat the game?" I was answered it makes things easier but not a requirement

 

[Nepenthe]

... Are we really referring to marketing as the definitive version of what Sonic is?

Hey, Sonic, Mario, and Crash showed up in that Ty the Tasmanian Tiger commercial and were hospitalized. Surely I get to sweep the leg on all those hoes in the game, right?

Also, every AAA game ever is pre-rendered, right? I mean, I saw the E3 trailer and trailers wouldn't lie to me.

 

[Waluigilicious]

It is a platformer with a pinball gimmick. That's it. It's literally one button. You run, jump, roll, and spin. Sometimes you build up momentum and go fast. Other times you have to be slow and careful. The game signposts when you can go fast and when you can't.

Frankly, I do not think this thread is made in good faith. Imagine if I made a thread about Mario and said, "wtf is this shit? How am I supposed to play? Do I get the mushrooms? Do I get the pipes? wtf, there's a run button too? Should I walk, or should I run? Should I stop and hit all the blocks? Should I collect all the coins? This is so confusing. This is bullshit!" That is literally the equivalent of what people are doing itt.

Well there's clearly a reason then why that thread doesn't exist and this one does. I've always felt this way about 2D Sonic and I've been gaming for over 25 years.

 

[ElectricBlanketFire]

If you interpret "Sonic is fast" as "Sonic needs to finish the level as quickly as possible," then yes, I can understand the confusion.

 

[Phediuk]

Seriously, is this "Sonic is so confusing" thing a meme that I missed or something? I don't recall anyone EVER complaining about Sonic being "confusing" before like, two years ago, when suddenly people started shitting every Sonic thread with it. These games are about as simple and entry-level as video games get.

 

[Glass Shark]

I'd invariably end up not having enough speed to get up a loop de loop, so I'd awkwardly turn around and walk back to the bottom, to have to run back and get my speed going.. to abruptly end it all by smashing into a bad guy.

I feel like you just accurately described every single time I’ve tried to play a Sonic game. I’m glad people like those games and finally have another good one to play, but the design is just baffling to me and doesn’t work at all.

 

[oti]

How can you say going fast was “just marketing” when the levels are built with boosters and loops and things? I just don’t get that.

Right?

People say go fast! But going fast is actively discouraged by the game.

People say go slow! But going slow feels so bad.

It's as if someone threw a bunch of mechanics together that don't make sense in the same game.

 

[wvnative]

With all the hype and positive words said about Sonic Mania, I'm seriously considering picking it up. However, I have no idea how to play a Sonic game.

They've always been confusing to me. Are you trying to acquire and hang onto as many rings as possible, or do they not really matter outside of lives?

Are you trying to complete levels as fast as possible or are you supposed to regularly stop and explore? The focus on speed in the game is a little confusing to me, as it seems like you'll be quickly ushered through gigantic parts of the game in the name of speed. Are you expected to kind of backtrack and explore the area that you just zoomed through?

Should you be seeking out every TV to smash? What rewards do these garner? What about enemies? Should you be trying to kill them all or is it okay to just run past them?

What do you need to do to acquire the giant ring (no idea if that's what it's called)? What makes it invisible/unattainable and what unlocks the ability to acquire it? What's the benefit of acquiring the giant ring?

I have other questions, but I guess I'll just leave it at that for now.

That's the beauty of Sonic, you can explore slowly and get rewarded by finding speedy parts of the level that make Sonic fly.

Or you can try and get through the level as efficiently as possible while getting as many rings and going through as fast as possible, which will net you lots of points which in turn will rake in lives.

Remember this, with classic sonic games, speed is primarily a reward for overcoming platforming objects. Everything is for points to rack in some lives

 

[Blackleg-sanji1]

Between the shitposts about sonic never being good and leaving, the condescending tone from the hardcore fans this thread confuses me. Especially when the op seemed genuine enough

 

[FN-2187]

Speed is beneficial for maintaining momentum often for the 'upper routes', as in staying as close to the top of the screen throughout the stage. That route most often features the greatest rewards and the quickest path to the goal(sometimes most laden with secrets along the way as well).

The reason you get frustrated with spikes and pits and other brickwall obstacles is that the lower routes usually act as a form of punishment. They are designed to often be a bit slower, force the player to pause and consider ways to reach higher ground again to get back to the loop-de-loops and ramps and coin staches, etc...

The games don't spell it out really, so I understand it can be alarming and confounding for players to think "push right, go fast, WTF not working!!??" but there is skill in trying to balance speed and keep on that chosen route. The satisfaction and thrills are seeped in doing so. Give it a try next play.

Exactly.

 

[Nepenthe]

Seriously, is this "Sonic is so confusing" thing a meme that I missed or something? I don't recall anyone EVER complaining about Sonic being "confusing" before like, two years ago, when suddenly people started shitting every Sonic thread with it. These games are about as simple and entry-level as video games get.

I guess people in the 90s were just geniuses or something.

 

[Jaded Alyx]

heh, I asked this same question in the Stupid Gaming Questions thread like 2 days ago. My biggest question was, "Should I be collecting the chaos emeralds or is that not necessary to merely beat the game?" I was answered it makes things easier but not a requirement

Chaos Emeralds for the 'real ending' if you care about that.

The people taking about sonic is just about speed should record a video of themselves playing through Marble or Labyrinth Zone.

 

[Dead End Irony]

Right?

People say go fast! But going fast is actively discouraged by the game.

People say go slow! But going slow feels so bad.

It's as if someone threw a bunch of mechanics together that don't make sense in the same game.

There's some parts where you'll need to slow down. There's some sections when you go fast. It's both until you completely master the stages. Then it's all speed.

Sometimes I rhyme slow, sometimes I rhyme quick.

 

[me0wish]

Sounds like you've figured out what many of us have known for years... That Sonic games are terrible.

After playing Mania, which is the best 2D Sonic I've played, I don't know how people complain about the 3D Sonic games (except when it's about the really terrible ones).

The best parts of Sonic Mania are the parts where gameplay there is actually gameplay, you know the parts where you don't "gotta go fast".

I'd say Sonic Mania is an average game, that does an excellent job with nostalgia, and the new soundtrack is stellar.

 

[pixelpatr0n]

Classic Sonic games remind me more of freestyle parkour or free skating, your deciding the best line through any given course trying to be as stylish/fast as possible.

At least that was always my goal.....to go FAST...and to have fun. Those classic games and now Sonic Mania have that in spades. It's not as black and white as Mario...it's the beauty of gray.

 

[Aaron Strife]

The Sonic games are designed for replayability. The ring system allows you to brute force your way through a level the first time as long as you're not too inept at the game.

This is a pretty foreign concept to people who grew up with Mario, Zelda etc which are guided experiences that let you see everything in the game until it's complete. Your first playthrough of a Sonic game is hardly thorough. Chances are you won't see even half of a level's various routes, and you won't get all the Chaos Emeralds required for a good ending. And that's fine! These games are pretty short romps, so you can just keep playing and getting better. There are achievements in the Xbox 360 versions for beating the game in under an hour, under 40 minutes etc and that's totally doable.

Beyond that, sometimes I like to explore, other times I just like to blaze through the game as fast as I can. I'm really glad Mania came out because it's nice to have a 2D Sonic that kicks my ass again.

 

[Mesoian]

Right?

People say go fast! But going fast is actively discouraged by the game.

People say go slow! But going slow feels so bad.

It's as if someone threw a bunch of mechanics together that don't make sense in the same game.

It's almost like there are specific challenges that will cause you to have to change up your playstyle opposed to just holding right, on top of having 3 characters that all play differently and handle certain challenges differently. Fancy that.

 

[digdug2k]

Like, I'm shitty at Sonic games, and don't really like them, but....

Some of the levels let you go fast. You go fast in those ones. You hold one ring, because other wise the spikes will get you. One time you stop and backtrack and realize there's nothing there but some TV's with rings in them. Never do it again.

Some of the levels make you go slow. They suck. You go slow. You constantly think "Maybe if I hadn't missed that one jump I'd be going fast here" but probably you wouldn't. They're just slow and they suck.

You'll hear about bonus levels, chaos emeralds, or super sonic. One time you'll finish a level with lots of rings and get something. Then you'll realize that if you finish levels quickly or with lots of rings, or something, maybe you get some of that stuff, but those slow levels are just so damn awful, you'll never find out.

 

[gosox333]

You play to beat the game. Just to get to the end of every level and beat the bosses.

And if you enjoyed that enough then maybe you go back and play it again a couple times with the other characters.

And if you enjoyed that enough you go back and play it again and try to get all the emeralds.

I could keep going, but really it comes down to beating the game and finding out if you like it enough to keep replaying it for different reasons.

 

[PeakPointMatrix]

Yep, much worse gameplay and design than Mario games. But...gotta go fast!

Sounds like you've figured out what many of us have known for years... That Sonic games are terrible.

The fuck is this garbage? Jesus the salt is real.

 

[Combichristoffersen]

Chaos Emeralds for the 'real ending' if you care about that.

The people taking about sonic is just about speed should record a video of themselves playing through Marble or Labyrinth Zone.

Or playing Sonic Labyrinth.

 

[oti]

There's some parts where you'll need to slow down. There's some sections when you go fast. It's both until you completely master the stages. Then it's all speed.

Sometimes I rhyme slow, sometimes I rhyme quick.

Repeating and mastering stages in Sonic is something I genuinely had never heard before.

 

[oneida]

Perfect comparison.
Well done.
10/10.

https://youtu.be/BHGJEdjCoeU

 

[UpperCaseN]

Chaos Emeralds for the 'real ending' if you care about that.

The people taking about sonic is just about speed should record a video of themselves playing through Marble or Labyrinth Zone.

for most games a 'real ending' matters to me, for my first time with Sonic I'd be happy with just beating the final boss. Unless there's a secret boss that having the Chaos Emeralds unlocks... I'd probably just youtube it if that's the case then.