Sonic the Hedgehog Game by Sega Reviewed by Philip "Pocket Squirrel" Wesley Save: None Released: 1991 Works with: Game Gear Quick Opinion: Own! **************************************************************************** Opening Snide Remarks: Every Sega product is eventually graced by the Blue Blur, the Fastest Thing Alive, THE Sonic THE Hedgehog. The Game Gear is no exception and there is a Sonic the Hedgehog game for it! Actually, it is not specifically for the Game Gear. The Game Gear Sonic the Hedgehog is a port of the Sega Master System version of the Sega MegaDrive (Or Genesis) original. So how does it play? **************************************************************************** Gameplay Description: The whole point of the Sonic games is to go fast from left to right in a well designed stage collecting rings, fighting enemies, and making it to the end of the level. There are 6 Zones (Levels) in this game with 3 areas in each Zone. The third area in each zone is a boss battle against Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik. Running through those levels, you can find computer screens with either the shield, extra life, or invincibility power ups. Also, the Chaos Emeralds are hidden in the levels in this game. Getting 50 rings and completing the level with theme sends you to a bonus round where you can earn continues and rack up points. The whole point of the Sonic games is to go fast and explore well designed levels. Sadly, a lot of the Sonic games fail miserably in presenting fun, interesting levels. The trick is to find a good balance between stage gimmicks and the over all speed with which you can move through the levels. This game gets it right, although the levels are a tad short. This is a fun Sonic game and completely worth getting if you are a Sonic fan. One word of warning though: This game contains the EASIEST FIRST BOSS in Sonic history EVER. No really, aside from that, the levels are pretty fun and there are some genuinely interesting speed and exploration moments. However, the bonus rounds in this game are boring, spring-filled levels that feel a bit like they were tacked on in the last moment. There are some auto-scrolling levels in this game as well to mix it up a bit. Each of the levels has some sort of gimmick. There are fake walls in the first Zone, weights in the second Zone, and so forth. There are a lot of evil death pits in this game, but you can still speed through at top speed if you have the skill. Liked: The levels are great fun with interesting gimmicks and a good sense of speed. There are also good checkpoints in each level to make getting through them easier. Hated: Although they are also a bit short and the first boss is a complete joke. The bonus rounds are pretty dull. **************************************************************************** Graphics Description: Because the Sega Master System and Sega Game Gear have different screen resolutions, the Game Gear version is zoomed in. To make up for this, the Game Gear version has slightly more detailed and colorful graphics. The bottom line is that this game looks great. The Jungle level is really great looking and the animation is pretty good too. Let Sonic stand around and he will do his impatient animation. It is easy to see everything going on in the screen and there is very little screen flickering. This is a good looking eight-bit title. The overworld map in this game is excellent and I honestly feel that every Sonic game should have a visible overworld. The overworld shows your progression through the island where the island takes place. Robotnik shows up on the levels where you will have a boss fight. There is a bit of slowdown in some areas but it is pretty negligible and there are some sections where Sonic will go faster than the actual game camera. That happens in the Genesis games too, so I think it is a design choice. Liked: This game looks good and has pretty detailed foreground sprites. Hated: The background is pretty darn sparse on some of these levels. **************************************************************************** Sound/Music Description: The SEGA voice is there and the music is pretty awesome. There are eight-bit mixes of the Sega Genesis music and the sound effects are spot on. Did I mention that the music was awesome? Let me rephrase that a little. The music is really great in this game. So much so that the hooks of the tunes have been sampled for songs by Frente! (Accidently Kelly Street) and Janet Jackson (Together Again). The remixed music and the original compositions from Yuzo Koshiro are well worth putting on some headphones for while playing this title. Liked: The music and sound effects are pretty great! The 8-Bit remixes of the Genesis music are excellent too. Hated: Nothing. **************************************************************************** Play Control/Game Design: The directional pad moves you around and the A and B buttons both cause you to jump. The play control is perfectly fine and Sonic moves with good momentum. The level designs are excellent and finding the Chaos Emeralds hidden in each level is a good incentive to explore. The bonus rounds are a bit dull and the bosses are an absolute cakewalk once you figure out their patterns. I personally feel that the levels could be slightly longer and that the bonus rounds should have been redesigned. There is also no point what so ever to getting the Chaos Emeralds except to say that you did get them. Liked: Everything works correctly and Sonic has good momentum when moving. The level designs are good and the entire presentation of the title is fun and engaging. Hated: Except for the lame bonus rounds and the really easy bosses. **************************************************************************** Improve: Just a few graphic tweaks here. Get us a better bonus round and mix it up a bit on the bosses. RIYL: Old school Sonic titles! **************************************************************************** Final Words: If you have a Game Gear, you owe it to yourself to track down this title. It is one of the better Sonic games out there and this is before they poured the sewage into the series by adding a bunch of useless Sonic Friends. This is Sonic, Robotnik, and going around levels quickly. That is how Sonic should be and that is what we get in this title. Huzzah! The level design is also intended to allow speeding through, but encourage exploration. Later games would emphasize the exploration and down play the speed. That works for side scrolling games that are NOT Sonic the Hedgehog. Sonic is about going fast. This game gives you that experience. **************************************************************************** Score Gameplay: **** Graphics: *** Sound/Music: **** Play Control/Game Design: **** Value: *** Star Total: 54% Personal Opinion Merit: 20% Final Score: 74% Letter Grade: B ****************************************************************************