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Review Information |
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Reviewer Name: |
Dezanuebe |
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Game Difficulty: |
Medium |
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Difficulty Options: |
False |
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Game Information |
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Full Title: |
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 |
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Year Released: |
1992 |
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Game Type: |
Platform |
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Max Players: |
1 |
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| Introduction |
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| I’m going to review what is, in my opinion, one of the three best SMS games of all times and truly represents the zenith of the Master System (it’s a big responsibility!! :-)). When I gave it to my brother as a Christmas present in 1992 I would never have anticipated that Sega could make a better Sonic game for the SMS. Contrary to the Mega drive version, we can’t play with both sonic and tails, we only play with the first one and have to save tails from the evil DR. Robotnik, who, once again, tries to make Sonic’s life a living hell. We must get to Crystal Egg Zone and try to rescue our sidekick from a terrible destiny. |
| Gameplay |
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As in all aspects, the game really shines in this area: First, we can choose between at least two ways to reach the end of the levels, we can go underground or underwater, we can fly our way through or race by dry land. Both way, Sega made everything they could to make the game always interesting and the truth is 13 years later I’m still able to play it without being annoyed.
Second, we have several vehicles to help us reach the end of the game, which brings both diversity and an increase of the fun factor. In the Underground area we ride the mining car just like Indiana Jones; in the Sky high zone we show Sonic’s radical edge by riding a hang glider (I can’t catch the emerald without it). In the Aqua lake area we drive bubbles trough spikes, lobsters and arrows. In the gimmick mountain zone (my favourite level) we have the spinning
Platforms that must be used to advance in the level and finally, in the Scrambled Egg Zone we have the pipe’s maze that we must dominate in order to reach silver sonic.
Third, the game play is flawless, it’s a sonic game after all, and everything comes perfectly together with intuitive controls, smooth game play and a gaming experience that’s simply amazing.
This game is a case study alongside games like Land of Illusion and Asterix of what a good platform game is about!!
(10/10)
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| Graphics |
| Wow, major improvement in the graphics department, this game really proves what the SMS is capable of doing.
First, Sega took extra care and gave a unique look to every area with the use of different colours from area to area, and even with pronounced differences in the levels of same areas, like for instance the second level in both Aqua Lake and Sky High zones. Even the use of colours is a demonstration of intelligence, creating the right environment for the desired effect: in the first area, red and brown dominate, after all we’re in the underground; in the sky high area blue dominates and is only replaced by darker colours in the second area because Sonic is passing through a storm (by the way, nice wind effects). In the aqua lake area we have soft colours and a summer feeling while passing the first and third areas and a cool underwater feeling in the second level with the use of green (I must admit that I still prefer the underwater levels in sonic 1). Green hill zone, well it’s a joy to watch and a huge improvement from the green hill we watch in Sonic 1, Gimmick Mountain is also real cool; Scrambled Egg Zone uses black very well in order to give us that mechanical feeling and the Crystal Egg Zone makes us feeling like we’re walking on crystal.
Second, Sonic’s animations are richer, the game is faster without losing fluidity in the animation department, the enemies are cooler and we are rewarded with small details for the first time in the SMS, like the loop-the-loops and the lost of rings for example.
This game is really colourful and has that unique SMS feeling that we love. The graphics are superb and to a console like the SMS is what I like to call a small miracle. (10/10)
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| Sound & Music |
| Well, here we are in the touchiest area of almost every SMS game, the Sound department. Usually, this is where almost every game fail (with the exception of games like streets of rage for instance), but it’s not the case of sonic 2. In this game we have really good sound effects and a musical score that fits perfectly every area. All we need to do is listen to the music with attention, together with the graphics they create the effect needed for each area, fast and nervous for the gimmick mountain, aqua zone and underground areas, soft and calm for the sky high zone, cheerful for the green hill zone and with a sense of grandeur and closure for the last to areas.
I really like the music’s and sound of this game and believe that once more it showcases what the SMS is capable of doing. (9/10)
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| Controls |
| Perfect, that’s the word that describes the controls for this game, sonic is a dream come true when it comes to control it, everything is easy to do, I know all he does is jump and run, but we do it amazingly as if we’ve played it all our life. The vehicles are also easy to handle (I know that at first the hand glider isn’t easy to control, but once you learn to go with the wind, you won’t have ant problems). Once more I have nothing bad to say!! (10/10)
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| Replay Value |
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| Sonic 2 has great replay value, I know that the game isn’t that hard to finish, but the game has a catch, you need to get the chaos emeralds in the first 5 areas in order to gain the 6th one from silver sonic in the Scrambled Egg Zone and be able to go to the Crystal Egg Zone, defeat Robotnik, save tails and reach the happy end. If you prefer Darth Vader to Luke Skywalker you probably won’t worry about tails and will never put the extra effort necessary to find all the emeralds. But, if you like to play and experience everything that a game has to offer, you will reach the end of these game several times in order to save tails, catch as many lives as possible and reach the highest score possible.
This game has a huge replay value and I’m a living proof of it, I must have reached the end of this game at least 10-15 times (10/10).
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| Conclusion |
| Sonic 2 is an amazing game, a gaming experience everyone must have at least once in his life, that represents both what the SMS is capable of doing when the programmers were in the zone, and what we could expect from the same programmers in the following years if they continued supporting the Master System, something that we know didn’t happen (and that’s why in the dying years of 1993/94/95 the best games were made by third party companies). To me, only Phantasy Star is better than this game, and I consider an honour to be given the chance to review this historic game |
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