Okay, let's elaborate a bit for the sake of it.
Joshua wrote:Given the fast rate of scrolling, any type of serious opposition from enemies would seem unfair, for starters.
Exactly. That's why they went the intelligent route and kept enemies rate low and less aggressive. There's nothing bad in enemies not being your primary concern.
Joshua wrote:So now we have rings, and an infinite potential for recovery from nearly any mistake. But an action game can't be completely without obstruction or penalty, can it? Not to worry, they've added in some spikes and a few pitfalls. F-U-N. Add a corkscrew loop-the-loop and congratulations, you've just designed a Sonic the Hedgehog stage.
That ring criticism reminds me of Campbell's "too many lives in Ketsui DL" criticism. Recovering from mistake is good, it avoids frustration. But at the end, if you're only relying on that last ring, you may complete the stage but you still suck at the game.
Spikes and a few pitfalls are a common ingredient of the genre since well, Pitfall.
Joshua wrote:You see, before Sonic 2, you had games like Wonder Boy, Rockman, Super Mario Bros. 2 (FDS), Jigoku Meguri, Wardner no Mori, et al. Games built on challenge. Overcoming a difficult platforming section in those games gave players a sense of accomplishment. They did something not everyone can do; they should feel proud.
That's the key paragraph when the reviewer lose credibility. That's not analysis, that's just a biased rant. His thesis: every game before Sonic 2 was a great, challenging masterpiece. Title he mentions: SMB Lost Levels. He doesn't mention, say SMB 2 USA, trying to trick us into believing that all the platformers of old were maddening as Lost Levels. Be sure that if a kiddo nowadays is able to complete Sonic 2, he should feel proud enough since the game didn't rely on battery saves, unlimited continues or credit feed. Anyway, the attempt to make of Sonic 2 a "turning point" falls flat in my opinion, because SMB2 USA and SMB3 were both already a generous concession in terms of challenge.
Joshua wrote:And after all, a mascot platformer's battleground wasn't just on the screen; it was on the cereal boxes, and what child wants to send in boxtops for a plush representation of a character whose game they resent? We see how well that worked out for Bubsy the Bobcat. Rockman NEEDS those energy tanks now. Mario NEEDS that cape to swoop over entire stages.
Let's insert a random rant about evil mascot marketing scheme, and let's relate it to gameplay changes like energy tanks for no apparent reasons.
Joshua wrote:The value of challenge is gradually disregarded. And supplanting challenge for sense of accomplishment? Bananas, balloons and bonus barrels. Big coins, small coins, red coins, blue coins. Chaos emeralds, diamonds, stars, remotes, tokens [...]
That kind of criticism marks the ("decrease in challenge") marks the evolution of the whole videogame industry, regardless of the genre. Of course it is all Sonic's fault. Never mind that you had plenty of collectibles before it (Bubble Bobble?), never mind that chaos emeralds in the list above are pretty much one of the few items that are actually hard to get.
Joshua wrote:There's a reason I'm singling out number two as well. The stage design in the original game was more compatible with what Sonic was: a glorified obstacle course. No meandering. No choice to go through one loop-the-loop over the other, snagging on something from another route. All you had to do was figure out how to maintain interia for as long as possible -- without the aid of spin-dashes, by the way.
And here's when the reviewer is ostensibly out of touch with the series. Actually this may be the first time I hear someone defend Sonic stages layout in comparison to the much improved sequel. In Sonic, they gave you a runner, and they constrained him into a rather traditional affair. Right at the second zone (marble), you are basically required to forget about speed and act as if you were any other platformer hero. In Sonic 2, they unleashed the character's true potential, by making him run fast into trouble... Which leads us to the last issue:
captpain wrote:I have always felt like the game was too far 'zoomed in' and that you were forced to blindly zoom through the levels with no idea of what was coming. No fun.
indstr wrote:Sums it up perfectly dude Very Happy Plus there's the fact that it's non-linear which in this case is not a good thing. So there are 2 or 3 different vertical sections of the level you can choose from at the same time... But if they are designed badly, what's the point? I'd much rather have a more refined level with a single focus (DKC is a perfect example of this).
Dudes, Sonic controls are simple and the action is fast - if it didn't have "trial and error" it wouldn't be a game, but just a pretty slideshow. Sure, you run into things and you'll die because of this. So, next time you approach the stage you'll know how to survive. Persist and you'll be able to keep your rings too, which is a good thing since you have limited lives. That's how Sonic works. That's pretty much why Sonic comes with a score indicator, while DKC doesn't. That's a whole shift in focus.
