Image courtesy of DarkShdw91
After having a blast with Sonic Generations, and with the help of some Microsoft Points received for the holidays (as well as some holiday price drops), I decided to revisit all of the classic Sonic games. It was fun replaying all the Genesis classics and the music is always enjoyable. Sadly, I didn’t grow up with Sonic CD, and had only played a port on the Sonic Gems collection for the Gamecube about 5 years ago. I remember thinking it was simply an ok game but not quite sure why it had such a legendary status.
I received Sonic CD as a surprise gift from my brother, who added it to my dashboard when I wasn’t looking, and went through it again. During my first run, I simply played the stages, collected the Time Stones and got the best ending, yet it wasn’t very satisfying. I did a second run playing the Time Trial mode in order the earn an achievement. It was pretty fun trying to explore and finding the quickest path to my goal.
Finally I decided to do a run utilizing the very mechanic that sets Sonic CD apart from other Sonic games, time travel. This time seeking out all of the teleporters and holograms. At first I thought it would be frustrating process of trial and error. But little by little, I began to appreciate all of the effort made to create different time periods, each with its own unique music and obstacles.
Unfortunately, I screwed up and got all the Time Stones again, nullifying any chance of getting that achievement. I thought, I would take a break from Sonic CD and come back to it later, and instead found myself playing it the next day and finally tracking down all the teleporters and holograms and feeling like I finally experience the full game for the first time. It’s like a puzzle rather than a game about speed, finding the right spots to build momentum to travel through time, and locating all of the hidden devices is far more rewarding than acquiring the time stones. The music is pretty awesome as well and the option to select Japanese is a great excuse for another playthrough.
I think Sonic 3 and Knuckles will hold the top spot in my heart when it comes to classic Sonic games, but I am glad that I no longer have this meh feeling when it comes to Sonic CD and now regard to be superior to Sonic 2. I wish I could have had the opportunity to play Sonic CD when it first debuted. Better late than never, all at a mere $5 and with the amount of content it’s a steal. I hope that one day, we can have a remake or re-release of Knuckles Chaotix, especially since I’ve never actually played it. Happy gaming this year!
