Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (Mega-Drive, 1992)



Sega didn't waste time releasing a sequel and rightly so. Such was the success of the first game that it boosted the Mega-Drive's profile significantly. And even though it is Sonic 1 which can be considered the real gem, this second offering adds enough improvements to justify classical status. Let's check them out.



First of all the graphics are much improved, more colourful, with many more layers of parallax etc. It really is a case of bigger/better. Also this time Sonic spins, gathering momentum and then rushing off at insane speeds. This gives the game a roller coaster-like feel and of course adds to the excitement.Then a new character has been introduced, Tails the fox, which can be controlled by another player. So there's simultaneous 2-player action. And finally there's two zones in each world instead of three. Thus we get many more worlds, including a few classic ones (the Hilltop zone for example).



So in the end what we have here is not any radical departure (far from it), but rather a refinement. Sega were really on a roll with the Sonic titles on the Mega Drive (as opposed to, say, on the Gameboy Advance). Yup, I can recommend this one.

8/10

2 comments:

Unknown said...

My favourite feature in Sonic 2 is the into-the-screen bonus section. Could it have been the inspiration for Sonic and the Secret Rings?

Jim Slip said...

Alas, I might be a Sonic fanatic but Sonic and the Secret Rings is a bit too new-gen for me. -)

So I don't know.