Poll of the Day > I just can't do 2D Sonic

(+) Yeah! (+)

I've started playing Sonic Generations for the first time. I heard it was one of the really good ones. But it suffers from the same problems I've had with 2D Sonic since the beginning, just even more so. I know Sonic is meant to be fast, but he's just absurdly fast to the point that I literally have no time to react to anything. Level design and range of vision is not conducive to this speed which makes it near impossible to see what is going on. Levels are incredibly maze-like which makes navigation a chore. But then they go in the opposite direction and slow you down for precise platforming which is entirely counter-intuitive. And Sonic's controls have never been tight like Mario titles. Way too floaty and unresponsive which makes it ridiculously hard to go where I want him to.

They have the "New Sonic" stages now that lean into the 3D design. But they carry over all those same problems from 2D level design. Super fast, linear levels with branching paths that need frame-perfect reaction or foresight to make and not enough visual of what's to come. The visuals are way too busy and chaotic, which makes it very difficult to even know what's going on. The perk system doesn't even seem to work at all, either.

I really want to keep going and hopefully make it to a point where it just clicks, but I really don't see that happening. 3D Sonic, for as janky as it can get, at least gives you enough room to run around and see what you're doing. I really hope the Shadow parts are better.

Actually, I think I remember liking Sonic Rush. It seemed it was trying to take influence from SA2 at the time though with mobility.

Generations is awful and I can't fathom why there are fans of it, at least the Xbox 360 version I have is broken, glitchy, poor performance, laggy controls, broken physics and awful level design from start to finish, even the unlockable version of the original Mega Drive game is glitchy, laggy, bad audio and doesn't even run in fullscreen

easily one of the worst Sonic games, and with games like Sonic Boom, Frontiers, Forces, Rush, Colors, Mania, Unleashed and Secret Rings that's far from a good bunch to be bundled in with

I am a 2D purist for most series I like, including Sonic

Funny thing is, I can only really handle 2D Sonic. In some ways, he was a shirt sighted character. They went out of their way to create a character that was the opposite of Mario, and a "Mario killer" and to an extent they succeeded on Genesis... but everything that made him work in 2D was kind of a nightmare for 3D. Mario's comparatively slower pace and exploration focus in SMW translated really well to 3D. Having Sonic haul ass in all directions was a lot more of a challenge.

Git gud

DeathMagnetic80 posted...

Funny thing is, I can only really handle 2D Sonic. In some ways, he was a shirt sighted character. They went out of their way to create a character that was the opposite of Mario, and a "Mario killer" and to an extent they succeeded on Genesis... but everything that made him work in 2D was kind of a nightmare for 3D. Mario's comparatively slower pace and exploration focus in SMW translated really well to 3D. Having Sonic haul ass in all directions was a lot more of a challenge.

It's true, that "3D Sonic Jank" is always there in some form, even if the game as a whole is enjoyable.

I feel like pulling the camera back further to see more of the level or possibly even put Sonic on the left third of the screen to provide a little more visual of what's in front of him would do wonders in making it more feasible to see what's going on. Also tightening the controls and leaning fully into momentum should be top priorities. There is no worse feeling in a Sonic game than being stopped in your tracks.

DeathMagnetic80 posted...

Funny thing is, I can only really handle 2D Sonic.

Same for me, more or less. I didn't mind Sonic on the Genesis, but I have zero interest in any of the newer games at all.



DeathMagnetic80 posted...

They went out of their way to create a character that was the opposite of Mario, and a "Mario killer" and to an extent they succeeded on Genesis... but everything that made him work in 2D was kind of a nightmare for 3D. Mario's comparatively slower pace and exploration focus in SMW translated really well to 3D. Having Sonic haul ass in all directions was a lot more of a challenge.

The funny thing is, it doesn't even really work on the Genesis. For as much as they hype up Sonic's speed and push the idea that you need to be constantly mindlessly running at all times, you actually do much better in the earlier games if you go slower. There's a lot of places on those maps where you're better off stopping and being more methodical rather than just trying to rush your way through everything.

DeathMagnetic80 posted...

Funny thing is, I can only really handle 2D Sonic.

Same here. Even in Generations I liked the 2D stuff more. It's a shame you can't play as Shadow on the 2D maps in Generations X Shadow. With that said Generations is a fun game.

Sonic 1-3 and Sonic CD are really the only ones I can stand to play, and even those I admit are mostly fun from a nostalgic standpoint.

Sonic Mania was fine, but also something I never felt like touching again once I beat it.

Salrite posted...

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Agreed entirely.

I don't know how I can say this, but I think you need to have at least a little Sonic-ism to really appreciate Sonic. I grew up reading the Sonic comics which were objectively shit, but remember them fondly.

Yellow posted...

Agreed entirely.

I don't know how I can say this, but I think you need to have at least a little Sonic-ism to really appreciate Sonic. I grew up reading the Sonic comics which were objectively shit, but remember them fondly.

Yes, as bad as a lot of the games are and as much as I don't like them, I WANT to like them and come back for more. The Sonic characters are just really fun and memorable that it makes a lot of people look over the jank.

I just 100 percented SA2 again which got me back in the mood, and Shadow Generations was half off on Black Friday so I got the urge to pick it up. Never played Sonic Generations so I want to get through that first. I didn't realize that it was a thirteen-year-old game! It definitely plays like one.

ParanoidObsessive posted...

The funny thing is, it doesn't even really work on the Genesis. For as much as they hype up Sonic's speed and push the idea that you need to be constantly mindlessly running at all times, you actually do much better in the earlier games if you go slower. There's a lot of places on those maps where you're better off stopping and being more methodical rather than just trying to rush your way through everything.

That's kinda been my problem with Sonic as a whole.

Once you get his speed up and he's zipping through the map, it's an undoubtedly cool rush and feels like, well, Sonic. But it also comes with the realization that onces you get your to the needed speed (very easy in most cases), you're not actually DOING anything after that. You can put down the controller in most cases.

And then, as you said, too miss plenty of the secrets of hell, levels themselves unless you slow down. But the game itself lacks any skill or finesse in going slow - there's very little platforming or enjoyment to be had from it.

I still remember sonic the fighters

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-urzuJSFRTQ