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Sonic CD review

Game: Sonic CD
Platform: Sega CD
Genre: Action (Platformer)
Developer: Sonic Team
AKA: Sonic the Hedgehog CD (JP)

Reader review by KompressorFromGFAQs

June 21, 2007

Today's platformers have lost their magic and zing, partly because developers add in gimmicky features that simply do not work. I'm talking about the talking water pumps, the vacuum cleaners, and the freaking pointless "teamwork style" (controlling three characters at once) gameplay that no one (at least not I) asked for. Just because a feature is new in a game series doesn't mean it's good or worthwhile, get that through your heads, game making people, Jesus Christ on a stick. Sonic CD is a shining example that some new ideas can be executed beautifully, if they're good ideas in the first place.

A thoroughly enjoyable game, with time travel, and it involves a character with spiky hair. And no, it's not Chrono Trigger! Sonic CD manages to be one of the most well made platformers from 1993. It does away with the usual get to the end of the level style gameplay that Sonic had been using up until 1993 by adding a nifty feature that lets you see levels in several different ways via time travel. Adding to the experience is a wonderful, modern soundtrack that blends styles of rock and dance (I've only really played the US version mind, which uses a different soundtrack than the JP version). Unfortunately, the shortness of the game and the difficulty (or lack thereof) of the bosses takes away from what could have been the perfect platformer. However, it's worth a go for anyone looking for a "get to the end of the level" type game, but with a different twist.

Dr. Robotnik (or Eggman, for those who honestly care) is up to no good again, oh no. He's trying to take over the world, like bad people tend to do, and this time he sends out his oh so diabolical creation, Metal Sonic, to capture the sweet Amy Rose (a pink female hedgehog).

Have mercy, Lord.

Adding to the mayhem, Dr. Robotnik is also trying to steal all of the Time Stones, which will somehow aid him in his evil quest. Sonic, being the good hedgehog that he is, decides to thwart the balding man's scheme. Yay for Sonic!

Your first obstacle is to go through a tropical paradise littered with traps and robots that don't have Sonic's best interests in mind. It's typical Sonic fare for the most part, until you reach a sign labeled "Past" or "Future". This is where one of the game's key features comes in. Touch the either sign, and then start running as fast as you can, and then wham, you get sucked into a time warp!

DUDE!

When you exit the time warp, you'll be in the same level, but the colors, decorations and music will all have changed. If you get sent into the future, you'll see what will have happened after Robotnik took over the area. What were once green luscious palm trees are now dead looking, the water in the background is now oil, and the music changes to an eerie tropical beat, and robots rule the area. Eek! How does one stop this from happening? You must travel to the past version of the level and destroy Robotnik's robot machine. This changes the future version of the level to an angelic, futuristic world with positive-sounding music. Yay! In all, each main level has four variations: a past, a present, a good future and a bad future.

To get the game's best ending (there are four in all), you must obtain all seven of the Time Stones, via the Special Stages. The Special Stages in Sonic CD are the best out of the pre-1995 Sonics; they're in full 3D (1993 3D, but 3D nonetheless) and they present a great challenge. You must defeat a series of UFOs within a time limit, and you must time your jumps so that they collide with the UFO or the UFO will dodge. The stages are quite difficult, especially the last three ones, but they're not so difficult that they feel cheap.

The game is easy to pick up and play, but collecting all of the time stones and destroying each one of Robotnik's robot machines to create good futures in each level can be a challenge. What isn't a challenge is the boss fights. The first boss takes three hits before the entire thing collapses in a heap of rubbish, for crissake! Either Sega got slightly lazy when designing the bosses, or Sonic remembered to take his Centrum vitamins. It's okay Sega, I forgive you. You gave Sonic CD one of my favorite rockin' soundtracks, after all. Underwater levels have a nice smooth beat with pleasing vocals, the night-themed city level has a great urban tune, and the last level has a good metallic sound to it. Overall, a great soundtrack to add to an already great game.

So yes, Sonic CD is worth buying. Hell, it's is a game that made the Sega CD worth buying. Yes, the Sega CD, that big hideous thing that attached to your Genesis like some type of parasite and broke down all the time. Thankfully you can play it on Sonic Gems Collection for the GameCube, saving you the trouble of spending hours trying to find a working Sega CD. Playing Sonic CD can give a gamer a bit of faith; it shows that creativity and new ideas can actually work in what would otherwise be an average series platformer. Thank you, whoever came up with the idea of implementing time travel in a Sonic game. You, my friend, deserve a hearty handshake.

Rating: 9/10

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