Sonic the Hedgehog

The 16-bit era was incredible, to say the least. Maybe not the best one in terms of games (though quite close), but certainly the best in terms of rivalry. SEGA vs. Nintendo, Sonic vs. Mario. It was unforgettable. Already back then, despite having played quite a bit of Mario on the NES before I got my hands on a SEGA Mega Drive, I developed a strong preference for the Sonic games, due to their faster pace, better protagonist, and more fun setting. They also just looked so much cooler.

Yet, I hadn’t beaten the original Sonic the Hedgehog until just recently. I’d first played (and beaten) the second one, and I’ve also beaten the third one (though without Sonic & Knuckles attached). My efforts with the first one back in the day ended quite miserably, I don’t think I ever made it past the Marble Zone, maybe I reached Spring Yard once or twice. But it was just too hard for me to beat on a regular console. Thank goodness we’ve got emulators and save states nowadays. 🙂

Game: Sonic the Hedgehog
Developer: Sonic Team
Platforms: Mega Drive/Genesis; Saturn (as part of Sonic Jam),  Dreamcast (as part of SEGA Smash Pack), PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, PC (Sonic Mega Collection/Plus), PSP (SEGA Mega Drive Collection), DS (Sonic Classic Collection), PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 (as part of the SEGA Mega Drive Ultimate Collection), PlayStation Network, XBox Live Arcade, Wii Virtual Console, Steam, Mobile
Original release: 1991
Territories: All

Sonic is a great start for the series. If you’ve started with Sonic 2 or 3, some things will be sorely missing (especially the spin dash – you have to roll up yourself when you have enough speed to attack on the ground, you can’t do it from a static position). However, the game has laid a solid foundation that the later entries built upon. It’s just Sonic vs. Robotnik, the whole crew of friends of Sonic only appear later in the series. In a way, that’s not bad. The difficulty is indeed quite high, as I said, but also remarkably fair. Unlike Mega Man, a decent level of knowing the stage will be sufficient, and furthermore, bosses, even the final boss, can be defeated fairly once you understand their pattern. On the other hand, Sonic doesn’t offer infinite continues – actually, you start without any.

This is another review that provides screenshots captured by me.

Video Game Music of the Week – 29.10-04.11.2012

Earthworm Jim sure was a hit on the Mega Drive/Genesis, but sadly couldn’t get anywhere near the popularity of the system mascot, Sonic the Hedgehog. And one of the major reasons why the Sonic games in the 16-bit era were so awesome (and why they trounced the Mario counterparts) was the really cool music. From the original Sonic game to Phantasy Star Online, Sonic Team has always been known for great music in their games. The Sonic song I picked for this week is Aquatic Ruin Zone from Sonic 2, it was my favourite song in the game when I played it on my trusty SEGA Mega Drive II back in the day.

Composer: Masato Nakamura
Game: Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Song:  Aquatic Ruin Zone

Video Game Music of the Week – 23-29.07.2012

This week’s theme comes from another Mega Drive/Genesis classic – Ristar. Nowadays, this eccentric platformer by Sonic Team is available on PS3/360 as part of the SEGA Mega Drive Ultimate Collection, and even on Steam. It’s well worth checking out – on top of the nice music, the game is just a lot of fun to play. The song from it that I’ve chosen for this week is called “Break Silence.”

Composers:  Tomoko Sasaki, Naofumi Hataya, Masafumi Ogata
Game: Ristar
Song:  Break Silence

Video Game Music of the Week – 09-15.07.2012

I’m in a 16-bit mood this week, and I don’t mean just any old 16-bit, I mean SEGA Mega Drive 16-bit. The Danish composer Jesper Kyd (who later worked on the Hitman and Assassin’s Creed games) made some amazing music for the system that does what Nintendon’t, and my favourite work of his is the soundtrack of The Adventures of Batman and Robin – a pretty awesome action shooter. The song I’ve chosen for this week is the Mad Hatter boss theme.

Composer: Jesper Kyd
Game: The Adventures of Batman & Robin (SEGA Mega Drive/Genesis)
Song: Mad Hatter Boss Theme

Top 50 Games Every Gamer Should Know About (Part 2)

And, without further ado, here is the second part of the list. I hope you enjoy it at least as much as the first!

Top 50 Games Every Gamer Should Know About

Plenty of games shape our life as gamers, and we all have our favourites – some mainstream, some more niche. But there are some games that every self-respecting gamer should know about. You don’t have to like them. You don’t have to even think they’re good. But, as a gamer, you should know about them.