Game Discussion of the Week: Sonic CD

All the numbered Sonic games in the Genesis are 10 out of 10 for me. In my mind this should have been Sonic The Hedgehog 4, because it is on that level of coolness, but weirdly enough they decided to release it even before 3 + Knuckles became a thing.

Out of the 4 games it is my least favorite, but it is still out there on their level, maybe Sonic Team felt the same, and that's why they didn't number it, not to mention they wanted to be its own thing for a different hardware, but nevertheless this game came out on the prime time for Sonic, so it is no surprising it delivers well.

I never understood why they had different soundtracks for different regions, even a copyrighted problem is usually generalized across the globe, so I don't know what excuse they gave, the whole thing felt like a deliberate decision on their part.

My least favorite of the classic ones, mostly on account of the weird level-design: it's just too labyrinthine, has too many springs an confusing auto sections where you lose control of Sonic and this first version of the spindash is weird. The time travel mechanic is great, but, unless you know especifically the right spots to reach and maintain high speed, it's very damn hard to actually go to the past or future. Even after playing and replaying the game and looking at maps I still don't get the level designs - it gets uncomfortably close to those "shit, where do I go" European platformers from the era.

But the music is awesome, the visuals are great (though beneath Sonic 2, 3&K) and, again, the time travel idea, incorporating various versions of each level, is very novel and add a lot of complexity to the game. It's just that I don't have much fun playing the levels themselves. In the context of classic Sonic games, this one is a 3 for me, close to a 4.

I'm sorry to say that Sonic CD is one of the very, very few 2D 16-bit console Sonic platformers that I have never played (Kuckles Chaotix is the only other one). I really don't even have a good excuse for not having played it, either; unlike Knuckles Chaotix, Sonic CD has been widely available ever since 2005 when it was rereleased on the Gamecube Sonic compilation Sonic Gems Collection, and I've owned a Gamecube since 2002, so I really should have played it by now. I want to point out that I have always been hesitant to play the version on the Sonic Gems Collection because it uses the DOS (or was it Windows?) port of the game instead of original Sega CD version, which I've heard is widely inferior to the original version because it has graphical glitches, down-scaled resolution, and other presentation based issues that were not present in the original version on Sega CD. Back when I was into hardware collecting, I planned on buying a Sega CD and kept holding off on my plans of playing Sonic CD until I bought one for my model 1 Genesis so I could experience the game in its original form, but these plans never materialized. So yeah, that's my shitty reason for never having played what is widely considered one of the best 2D platformers ever.

So, what do I feel comfortable commenting on? I think the music is one aspect. There's always been this heated, long-lived debate amongst gamers on whether the Japanese/European soundtrack is superior to the American one. Most gamers agree that the japanese/EU soundtrack is strictly superior to the US OST, but as someone who has no nostalgia attached to the game I just want to say that the American soundtrack has by far my favorite jingles of any game in the entire Sonic series. I could listen to the speed-up and the stage clear jingles on loop for 24 hours a day, every day; they're that good.







...so good that they bring a tear to my eye *sniff*.


Speaking of the US soundtrack, I also definitely prefer the US version of Collision Chaos Zone, which has a subtle, serious, dystopian feel to it compared to the trashy "street hip-hop" vibe I always get from the JPN/EU version of the level.




...but then, I would argue that the JPN tracks for Palmtree Panic Zone are far more energized and worthy of the Sonic legacy than the american tracks, and more fitting for the level:




So I guess there really is no clear right-or-wrong answer in regards to which version of the OST is better; they each have their standout tracks, and I wish that more people could agree on that instead of just shitting all over the american OST constantly like they always do.


In regards to the visuals, Sonic CD seems every bit as good as the classic Genesis games. Obviously the real exception and eyecatcher here are the elaborate animated sequences produced by Toei animation (the studio that produced DBZ), which are the cherry and frosting on top of an already dazzling looking game. Sega spared no expense in giving Sonic CD the best presentation possible given the technology. It's such a shame that traditionally animated intros are no longer a thing in games anymore, but I do appreciate the homage the Sonic Mania Team gave to said title with the pleasing digitally animated sequences, which looked strikingly similar to those from Sonic CD, so flash animation clearly has come a long way since its shitty beginnings on websites like Newgrounds.

Anyway, here's my preview for until I play the game: artistically (graphics, music, sound, etc.), Sonic CD may very well be the most impressive game in the series. Judging it for just its artistic merits, it's easily a 5/5 game and a brilliant showcase of Sega in their prime. I can't wait to play it. 

This is pretty much my opinion on the game. my least favourite original sonic game because of the terrible labyrinthine level design. They tried to make the levels to resemble Mario levels but kept Sonic's mechanics for fast speedy gameplay which doesn't go together at all. This game feels like homework. 

Had great visuals, presentation, soundtrack and an awesome anime intro, And I love the Sonic Vs Metal Sonic race level, But the game fails as a final result. Good but not great but could of been epic.