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Sonic 2 (Sega Mega Drive) Retro Game Review

25/3/2018

Blog post by Gemma @ Juicy Game Reviews / TheGebs24

Sonic 2 Sega Mega Drive retro game review

Sonic 2 is a timeless classic on the Sega Mega Drive

It’s hard to believe I’ve never written about Sonic 2! Back in the prime time 16bit days Sonic was one of the most prominent characters in gaming. Typically it would be an argument between which console was better: the Sega Mega Drive or the Super Nintendo which led to a further argument of Mario Vs. Sonic the Hedgehog. Which ever was you look at it I believe it is hard to find a definitive answer. Ultimately I look back and laugh on those days that I chose to side with the Super Nintendo because I adore the Sega Mega Drive in 2018. What better game to sit down and discuss none other that Sonic 2.

With the bright green shine of the Emerald Hill Zone grass topped with the crystal blue of the sky, Sonic 2 starts with an absolute bang. Straight out of the staring blocks and I remember at just how vibrant Sonic 2 seemed in comparison with its predecessor; Sonic. Everything seemed more polished from the breakable TV screens, the palm trees, the launch pad springs, bridges and more. Sonic 2 really made a lasting impact on us all back in 1992 with its impressive looks and feel. Even today in 2018 Sonic 2 looks incredible considering its a game that’s over 20 years old. What would the Sega Mega Drive have been without such a powerful game? For me Sonic 2 provided endless challenges: trying to get all of the rings in the Special Zone, trying to keep Tails in check and dodge the merciless obstacles in zones such as Chemical Plant Zone. I could go on.

The Sonic and Tails duo took over the Sega Mega Drive in 1992

Tails
One of the first noticeable changes in Sonic 2 compared to Sonic was the introduction of Tails. What did you think when you first saw Tails on your CRT TV’s back then? Firstly, we know that Tails is both playable and a non-playable character. Secondly, the difference between the two is startling depending on how you approach it. As a non-playable character Tails is both an asset and a pain in the ass. Tails is great at collecting missed rings, landing on missed TV Screen and killing missed enemies. Typically Tails moves with Sonic so when Sonic jumps Tails jumps shortly after. Arguably you are controlling two characters at once. Whilst this can be a bonus it can often be a burden. Sonic 2. At times Tails frequents death and for me this can slow the pace of the game. Take the Social Stages for example. When Tails crashes the game noticeably drops a few frames. On the grand scale of Sonic 2 this is a monitor issue but one I feel I must mention.

As a playable character Tails is feels much more agile, albeit his legs move like he is slipping on ice. Brace yourselves for some classic split screen action with Sonic on the top and Tails donning the bottom half of the screen. For me the split screen works great!

Along with the introduction of Tails Sonic 2 also saw Super Sonic bursting in to the series. Super Sonic is a lot faster than normal Sonic and can jump a lot higher. Super Sonic can be unlocked by collecting all seven of the Chaos Emeralds then collecting fifty rings on a level. After one quick jump Sonic morphs in to Super Sonic. Alternatively you can pop the cheat in too and voila you’ll be running around Emerald Hill Zone as Super Sonic instead. But we won’t talk about cheating now will we?

Sonic 2 Special Stages were so iconic

Levels/Acts
There are eleven different level zones in Sonic 2 with each level having two acts. This does not include Metropolis Zone as this has three, Sky Chase Zone, Wing Fortress and Death Egg Zone.

Emerald Hill Zone: Act 1 / Act 2
Chemical Plant Zone: Act 1 / Act 2
Aquatic Ruin Zone: Act 1 / Act 2
Casino Night Zone: Act 1 / Act 2
Hill Top Zone: Act 1 / Act 2
Mystic Cave Zone: Act 1 / Act 2
Oil Ocean Zone: Act 1 / Act 2
Metropolis Zone: Act 1 / Act 2 / Act 3
Sky Chase Zone: no map. It's not like there IS anything to map on this level anyway.
Wing Fortress Zone: Act 1 - this map is by WKSchraff unlike the rest of the maps, which are by Stealth. It is also FULL SIZE instead of zoomed out. If anybody wants to provide similar maps for the rest of the levels then please do
Death Egg Zone: Act 1

Source: https://qntm.org/maps

I’ve always found there to be excellent variety in the level designs in Sonic games. Sonic 2 has 11 zones including the final Death Egg Zone in which Sonic battles. If you’re skilled then you should be able to complete Sonic 2 in just over one hour. On top of the awesome level design the music in Sonic 2 is fantastic. To this day the tunes of Sonic 2 are as familiar as any gaming soundtrack out there. What are your thoughts?

The Legacy
Sonic 2 inspired many Sonic games over the years. With the most recent Sonic Mania (PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC) you can utterly feel the Sonic 2 vibe above any of the original Sonic trilogy. What’s more that there Sonic 2 HD is in development. Whilst this is an unofficial Sonic 2 remaster. Gone have the 16bit polygons and incoming the ultra HD fibres of Sonic and Tails. I can appreciate that a Sonic 2 remaster is not for everyone it is clear how much of a lasting impact Sonic 2 had on fans around the world. Check out the trailer to it below. Should you want to try the demo it is available on Windows only at present.

Sonic 2 is a game that we should all be familiar with. It’s hard to say anything remotely bad about it. Sonic 2 packs a punch visually, musically, design-wise and conceptually. Sonic 2 really did help to carve the series in to something magical and it’s refreshing to see the characters live on in more recent Sonic games. Long live the blue hedgehog and his friends.

Blog post by Gemma @ Juicy Game Reviews / TheGebs24

Magic exists beyond this button...

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Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker (Arcade & Sega Mega Drive) - Retro Game Review

8/3/2018

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Guest Blog Post by @ The Every Gamer

Michael Jackson's Moonwalker Retro Game review

Michael Jackson, the King of Pop. For as long as I have lived, he was huge; his music has and will become eternal as well as his oddities. Even after death, he’s still a star in the music industry, but when he was alive, you knew who he was. In my opinion, for someone who isn’t a fan of pop music, I have no issues with most of his music and I like most of them. Fun fact, I have a segment of ‘Who is it’ for my ringtone as a joke. Anyone can be inspired by Michael Jackson, but there can only be one Michael Jackson, I don’t think we’ll get someone like him again…can we?

Anyway, if he can do music, he can have his own movie, and somehow he only had the one, he only needed the one, and it’s one I actually grew up with. Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker, based on one of his (not-so) original dance moves that make you remember him. Released in 1988, it’s mostly an anthology movie of…to be honest, a bit of ego-stroking on Jackson’s part, mostly music videos, some odd moments, but the memorable part of the film is the last segment, Smooth Criminal and it’s just awesome. I mean the scene where he actually sings the song and that part is filmed well, the rest of it. Joe Pesci is just a guilty pleasure.

Did you know that Michael Jackson may have liked video games? I mean, he worked on SONIC 3 AFTER ALL AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Anyway, there were home computer games based on the movie…SEGA’S ARCADE GAME IT IS!

Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker, developed and published by Sega with audio-visuals made by Triumph International, it was released in 1990. The game was produced and designed by legendary…Michael Jackson; eh, he can do music, he can do movies, he certainly can do games, if only he was alive, he could have finally made Half-Life 3.

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Crazy Taxi (Sega Dreamcast) - Retro Game Review

7/3/2018

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Guest Blog Post by Pablo @ Pablo's Tech Tips

Crazy Taxi - Sega Dreamcast Retro Game Review

Crazy Taxi is a quirky driving game developed by Hitmaker and published by Sega in 1999. Crazy Taxi was extremely successful in its initial arcade release, and Sega got to thinking that they would be wise to release it on their new Dreamcast home console, as well. The game saw release on the Dreamcast in 2000, and thanks to the hardware in the Dreamcast being very similar to the arcade version of the game's Naomi hardware, it was a perfect port. In Crazy Taxi you play the role of a taxi driver in a world where there are no traffic violations, and raw speed is the name of the game. Drive around and pick up customers in your taxi, weave through traffic, and get them to their destination as fast as possible, rinse, repeat. That's what crazy taxi is all about. The game is a race against the clock, which is constantly ticking down. Every time you pick up a customer, they add time to your clock. The trick to the game is to get customers to their destination as fast as possible, so that you have some of the time that customer gave you left over for the next ride. Good players can actually make the time on the clock go up over time, rather than down. Customers are colour coded depending on how far away their destination is and how much they will pay you. Red is closest, and least money, then orange, yellow, and green, which are the furthest fares. You get bonus money for brushes with disaster such as catching air or passing another vehicle too closely. Crazy Taxi has over 250 unique passengers scattered about the game-world, all looking to get somewhere as fast as possible. If you don't get a passenger to the destination fast enough, he or she will jump out of your speeding taxi in frustration. Ouch! Road rash!

Crazy Taxi proved wildly popular on the Sega Dreamcast home console, and has since seen release, along with its sequels, on PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, PC, Gameboy advance, and the Xbox consoles. Crazy Taxi's producer, Kenji Kanno, wanted to make a different kind of game where the length of play could potentially be limitless, if the player were sufficiently skilled. He wanted to create something different, where a high skill level really changed the way the game was played, and how long it lasted.

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