Gaming History 101

Longtime listeners of the Gaming History 101 podcast will recall that I have an issue with Sonic the Hedgehog’s legacy. While I admit not putting Sonic 2 on the Genesis/Mega Drive top 10 was as much a jerk move as it was sincere, those 16-bit games were great additions to Sega’s catalog. It was when Sonic went 3D that the entire franchise fell apart and it has never seemed to recover. The newest release by Sega, Sonic X Shadow Generations, is a hybrid remaster of the original Sonic Generations with an additional campaign for Shadow that proves Sega still hasn’t found the magic. I’ve often heard that Sonic Generations was the bastion of hope in the PS360 generation that proved a solid 3D Sonic title was possible, albeit with the conceit of 2D-esque levels as well. That was not my experience. I found it to have all the problems I struggled with all 3D Sonics and dragged my way through the first series of levels and boss just to verify it. While I admit that the updated Shadow campaign has some tricks to soften the blow of what is essentially an auto-pilot runner with some QTEs mixed in, the core design remains. Seeing that only the visuals and performance were touched in the Sonic Generations levels hinted that gameplay and quality of life features take a backseat to flashy visuals and nausea-inducing speeds. Granted, perhaps that’s what Sonic titles are in the 3D space and my biggest issue is that I either don’t accept that or I long for a Sonic game isn’t coming. Okay, let’s hash it out, today I finally admit to my appreciation for 2D Sonic titles and discuss my issues in the 3D titles that ruin the experience for me every time. Needless to say that if you are a fan of 3D Sonic titles or have ever referred to him as “The Blue Blur,” I’m likely to frustrate you.

For the Love of 2D

I received the Sega Genesis for Christmas in 1992, and at that time the promotion was a model 1 system with the original Sonic the Hedgehog in the box and you could send in a card to get the recently released Sonic 2 for free. Honestly, my draw to the Genesis was for the arcade-like titles and not necessarily for Sonic titles, but the urge to play them was undeniable. Sega made sure these titles employed graphical tricks not seen elsewhere, my personal favorite being the layered backgrounds in the bonus levels of the original Sonic. I also liked that it had simple controls of a d-pad and one button (all 3 buttons on the Genesis pad did the same thing) and it had vast levels of exploration. It’s the exploration part that oddly got lost in the mix of Sega’s advertising and game magazine coverage, but I feel confident that for most that played these early games the exploration was the experience. Sonic may have been able to go fast, but the game design would punish you for being to hasty and running ahead, especially in Sonic 2. For me it was discovering the many different routes through any given level and what pick-ups and secrets were found on the highest platforms or lowest depths. Exploration was also a necessity when I eventually played Sonic CD on the Sega CD a couple of years later, because that game migrated between the past, present, and future, with some obstacles only being overcome in certain locations at only one of the time periods. To me, Sonic is essentially an action platformer focused on exploration with the ability to go fast when the level permits, but the marketing presents a speed-running marathon play style that most do not engage with. This sin is doubled when Sega decided to use Sonic to go head-to-head against Mario, but aside from being mascot platformers the games hold little in common.