This little GameCube title contributed wins 73, 74, and 75. As you can probably tell, I'm a bit of a sucker for nostalgia, even if I didn't grow up playing some games. Sonic Mega Collection was a big hit for me, so imagine how much I geeked out when I heard about Sonic Gems Collection. I got a real kick out of playing the games on here because they were games that I did NOT grow up playing. Sonic the Hedgehog - played repeatedly. Sonic 2 - lost more than I won. Sonic 3 - played until I was stuck (to this day I still kick myself in the Carnival Night Zone). Basically, any Genesis Sonic title, I had. So, it was a real treat to play games like Sonic R and Sonic CD.
I realize I could have played a lot more games on this. A set of games like this could really be a potential gold mine after all. But I kept it to the three main titles, so that's what you're going to hear about.
Sonic the Fighers
Well, this one came first. I remembered it being tough, so I thought I'd start with it. Get all my frustrations out in the ring, although when the ring causes them, it's a bit counter-productive. Anyway, as you can probably deduce, this was Sega's first answer to all those fighting games that people were popping all their quarters into at the arcades - looking right at you Mortal Kombat. From what I understand, this game didn't see a lot of action, since Sega worried about how it might look to have their beloved mascot beating up all his friends. It's a bit ironic considering that Sonic would get another fighting title on the Game Boy Advance, and later go toe-to-toe with a certain plumber who shall remain nameless in a certain fighting series that shall also remain nameless, but I will say it was a smash. But I digress.
As far as my experience with the game went, I would have given it a limited release just because of how hard it was. Now, I'm willing to bet that I'm a bad fighter. On the other hand, this game just seemed to get pretty irritating, especially the showdown with Metal Sonic. The bad doctor sure knew how to make 'em when he build that one. Metal Sonic threw me down to the mat, I think about 7 times. I wasn't exactly counting my defeats; more like suffering through them hoping the next time might be the one to win. Actually, Metal Sonic wasn't the only one I had a problem with, but mostly I was able to take the rest down within two tries. Although when I had to fight that clone of my character, Sonic in this case, I found myself on the receiving end of a beating that only seemed to foreshadow the one I got a round later. By the way, does anyone else find it disturbing to say you had to beat yourself up or is it just me?
Graphically, this game is pretty weak, but considering it's a port of an arcade game, I guess that could be expected. Yeah, this wasn't the sleek look we've come to know and love, but for its time, it was all right. The music...well, it's not really the kind you'll be humming to yourself, like other Sonic games. Heck, the very first game in the series even had some good tunes.
All in all, it's not a game I'd probably go back to again and again. I played it once just to say I played it. I played it twice for the contest, and I don't think I'll make it a third time.
Sonic R
The next title I went through was Sonic R. If none of you have ever heard of this game, well rest assured, I didn't either. Without a Sega Saturn, this was another game that kind of went by without my knowing. We wound up finding it for the PC, so that was my first exposure to this game. Then the disc went missing. So, I was pretty pleased when I first found this again on Sonic Gems Collection.
The R stands for racing, and that's what the whole game is about. Forget about cracking open robots and facing off against Dr. Robotnik, although you do race against him among others. This game is all about crossing the finish line. Still, there are a few little Sonic staples. You can find rings along the track, which you use when you run over these little panels that send you shooting forward, and all this time, I thought that speed boost was for free. You also use them to open gates along the track which might lead you to a shortcut or *drum roll* a Chaos Emerald. Yes, you still have to collect those little gems, but this time you have to not only grab the emerald, you have to finish in 1st place to win. But no pressure. Believe it or not, this was actually an easy game.
Sonic R was, in my opinion, a bit of an improvement in terms of graphics over Sonic the Fighters. Mind you, I said a bit. The characters still look blocky, but I thought they looked a touch better than Fighters. The controls took some getting used to. I was used to Mario Kart, and even then I ended up careening into walls. Sonic seemed like me when I tried on a pair of roller skates - out of control. Still, it's not hard to get used to things.
The real winner for me in this game, though, goes to the music. I've heard some tell that the soundtrack divided the critics, but for this fan anyway, that was some great music. My personal favorite was the track for the Reactive Factory course. I found myself gladly singing the words 'work it out' after the racing was over. The ending song is pretty catchy too. I guess I can understand the division though. Three members of the family like it, counting me. One, on the other hand, didn't. Actually, I guess I can't understand the division because I still wonder why this one family member never liked the songs. But you can't please everyone.
Bottom line, it's another so-so Sonic game, but it makes up for it with some catchy tunes that almost make the rest of the game worth it.
Sonic CD
The last of the main three, and certain the one the hits closer to home, was Sonic the Hedgehog CD. Believe it or not, this game didn't fly 100% under my radar. I knew about it. Heard about it, read about it, but I never got the chance to actually play it. (I'll give a cookie to whoever can guess where I borrowed part of that quote from. Or rather your browser will give you that cookie). I never got the chance to own a Sega CD, so I had to settle for just reading about this game tucked away in the back of my Sonic 3 guide, which was never a big help anyway.
In contrast to the other two games, Sonic CD finds itself in the same ballpark as earlier Sonic games, although Sonic the Hedgehog this game is not. The story in a nutshell is as follows. Sonic races off to catch sight of this little planet that appears over his home planet like clockwork. The game designers really picked a whopper of a name for this little planet. They called it, wait for it, Little Planet. Okay, sarcasm aside, Sonic finds the Little Planet tethered and covered in metal. Now, if you've played Sonic Adventure, you may be asking yourself, "where did Amy Rose come from?" I know I did. Well, this game gives you your answer. Heck, I never knew about it until I played it. Anyway, she gets grabbed by Metal Sonic, and you have to save her and Little Planet.
Like I said, this game is in the same ballpark as its predecessors on the Genesis. The game has the same look and the same idea as the classics. You proceed through three acts in each zone, and at the end of every third act, you face Dr. Robotnik. If you grab 50 rings, you can also enter a special stage for the chance at winning a Time Stone (Chaos Emeralds are out for this game). What's different is the time-traveling. Yeah, you can travel backwards and forwards through time. It's pretty interesting to see what changes you see, at least to the background.
This game also has its fair share of challenges, at least as far as the boss fights are concerned. Some of those fights, I had to take a few whacks at just to move on. The showdown with Metal Sonic in Stardust Speedway comes to mind. That fight was a race, and I never really liked racing showdowns. This one only made me dislike them more. You not only have to win, you have to avoid touching Metal Sonic, and if you get too far behind, Dr. Robotnik will zap you. To make it worse, you have to jump over obstacles, while Metal Sonic can plow right through them, and he'll often get ahead of you, at least he did for me. So, yeah, they could have tried to throw a bone to the player.
Graphically, this game is on par with the classic Sonic games, except for the opening and the ending. Both featured full video clips that were on the level of a cartoon, and I imagine for that day, it was pretty impressive. When the most we ever saw was a recap of all the previous zones or a short movie in the same style as the game, this sort of thing was probably a real delight to the players. I know I really was impressed.
Music, again it's kind of the same, although I found the maniacal laughter in the background of every boss fight irritating. Once again, the opening and the ending really take the music a step up from the original games. Both versions of the theme, Sonic Boom, were really impressive, although the opening is a bit faster and a bit more rockin'.
Bottom line, I'd say this is a Sonic game that needs to be played at least once.
And so that concludes this triple play. Keep on playing, gamers.
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