As I've been playing Sonic the Hedgehog this month for the SEGAmaniacal Summer Challenge, I've been thinking a lot about the franchise and how it's evolved over the years. Even moreso, I've been thinking about how pretty much every Sonic since the Dreamcast iteration has been criticized for the same thing--not being fast enough.
Go read reviews of any Sonic game over the past few years. Inevitably, you'll get to the part of the review where the writer laments how this new game doesn't stay true to the original concept of Sonic. The game isn't fast enough, Sonic doesn't run enough, there's too much stop-and-go gameplay, etc.
Many of the reviewers remember the original Sonic games as being one long footrace, where Sonic always runs at blinding speeds and the gameplay never slows down.
The thing is, that's not what the original Sonic games were at all. Sure, there are plenty of moments in the early Sonic games where you are racing through levels at insane speeds. But, there's also a great deal of times where you are at a dead stop, carefully planning your next move or jump, as you traverse lava pits, spiked bridges, and the like. I'd say it's probably a 6-40 split in terms of slow gameplay versus fast paced gameplay.
Thinking about this has made me want to play some of the more recent Sonic games that were panned critically, as I think a lot of reviewers were comparing them to the nostalgic view of Sonic they had, as opposed to what the actual games played like.
What do you think?
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Friday, June 3, 2011
SEGA GENISIS on your Dreamcast
As many of you already know, you can run many platforms on the Dreamcast
thanks to many emulators available throughout the internet. With the SEGAManiacal Summer under way I thought I'd share some emulators with you. While I never condone piracy, I do enjoy putting the games I already own on easier to use platforms. For example. I'm planning on burning all three titles of the SMS onto one easy to load disc for one of my Dreamcast
consoles. This way I'll have Sonic
, Streets of Rage
and Shinobi III
all in one easy to find spot so I can make sure I get my play time in this year.
Here's a link to a pile of emulators for your Dreamcast
.
Here's a link to a pile of emulators for your Dreamcast
Monday, May 30, 2011
The SEGAmaniacal Summer Challenge Starts Tomorrow!
Dust off that old Genesis, because tomorrow kicks off the SEGAmaniacal Summer Challenge. Three months, three games, starting with the game that established SEGA's mascot for the 90's--Sonic the Hedgehog.
Over the next month, Jason and I will be checking in on the SI forums, as well as with a couple of podcast segments, so get playing!
Over the next month, Jason and I will be checking in on the SI forums, as well as with a couple of podcast segments, so get playing!
Labels:
Retro Gaming,
Sega,
Sega Genisis,
Sonic the Hedgehog
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Get Ready for the SEGAmaniacal Summer Challenge!
It’s time to start doing thumb push-ups, and getting your 16-bit self in shape, as the SEGAmaniacal Summer Challenge starts in a couple weeks.
Last year, we took 3 NES
classics and played them during the summer months. This year, we’re giving the same love to SEGA’s
16-bit masterpiece of a console. Three months, three games, a summer of awesome.
First up in June is “Sonic the Hedgehog
” (1991). The mascot of of the SEGA Genesis, Sonic’s blend of speed and platforming was like nothing that came before it. Despite the fact that the series has gone downhill over the years, the original is still amazing.
“Streets of Rage
” (1991) will be punching players in the face during the month of July. The side-scrolling brawler let’s you take on the role of either Adam Hunter, Axel Stone or Blaze Fielding, three rogue cops trying to clean up the gang-ridden streets of the city.
Everyone knows that August is the month of the Ninja, and this year will be no different. “Shinobi III
: Return of the Ninja Master” (1993) is a fitting game to round out this year's trilogy. It combines the platforming and brawling of our first two games, and adds in some ninja flavor to make a casserole of carnage.
All three of this year’s games can be found on “Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection
” for the PS3
and Xbox 360
. You can also find some of them on Wii Virtual Console, Steam, or iPhone
and iPad
. And let’s not forget, you could dust off your old Genesis
and play the original carts themselves. Either way, you have a couple of weeks to get your games before we kick things off in the first week of June.
Get ready!
Last year, we took 3 NES
First up in June is “Sonic the Hedgehog
“Streets of Rage
Everyone knows that August is the month of the Ninja, and this year will be no different. “Shinobi III
All three of this year’s games can be found on “Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection
Get ready!
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Gameboy Advance Time Machine
I really enjoy all the Famicon
style designs Nintendo came out with in Japan back in the day. I loved the American version
as well, but there's something really cool about these designs. The other really cool thing about early Nintendo in Japan is that they came out with all sorts of insane accessories. Later in the game, Nintendo actually created a "GBA Time Machine." I assume it was Nintendo and not a third party. It allows you to play your NES carts right on your GBA. Now, you can get a tiny card that supports micro SD slots to do the same thing via ROMs. But the fact that you can play your own carts and show off your coolness to all the other retro gaming nerds, makes me want one even more.
Labels:
Accessory,
Cartridgecade,
Gameboy,
GBA,
NES,
Super Famicon
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Getting My SEGA Supplies in Order
I'm rummaging through my SEGA
supplies. I have three SEGA Genisis Sytems
but only one works. I'm trying to find the AC adapter
for it, but I can't find it. You don't want to use just ANY AC adapter on an ancient unit like this. The last thing you want is to blow your system. I may need to order one off of Amazon. I also found all the original discs that came with it. I have my Night Trap
, My SEGA Classics
and even the music CDs. I forgot all about the Sherlock Holmes game that came with it. They gave you A LOT of media with the SEGA CD
. I remember that Christmas morning well. Good times.
In a week or so I will put up some pics of my system and various controllers. Need to get it functioning before I show it off.
Labels:
ac adapter,
night trap,
Sega CD,
sega classics,
sega genesis
Sunday, May 1, 2011
GIANT PACMAN GAME!
I have not had a chance to fully explore this website, but the title "World's Biggest Pacman" pretty much sums it up. When you visit the site you are greated with THOUSANDS of gameboards. Click on one to begin. Each one is connect to another. You could munch power pellets all day! You can sync up with facebook and post your records. A really neat idea. If you're logged into facebook, you can even create your own levels.
One thing I want to explore more is the AI. The original pacman had great AI. Each ghost was different and various parts of the board yielded pros and cons. Also, when you head through a warp tube, ghosts slow down when following you. I'm not sure they even follow you in this version. To check it out, visit the link below! Enjoy!
http://worldsbiggestpacman.com/
One thing I want to explore more is the AI. The original pacman had great AI. Each ghost was different and various parts of the board yielded pros and cons. Also, when you head through a warp tube, ghosts slow down when following you. I'm not sure they even follow you in this version. To check it out, visit the link below! Enjoy!
http://worldsbiggestpacman.com/
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