Sonic Memories Part VI: Sonic CD ( #sonic20th )
Congratulations to the Miami Heat for winning the NBA Finals.
I didn't watch though; for the past few days, I've been concerned. No, second thought, I haven't been that mentally strong since last week. But on Tuesday, or was it Wednesday, I thought I found my answer when it comes to "life values".
I'll have to stay strong somehow. I am totally useless when sad.
SONIC TIME!
Anyways, more Sonic MEMORIES!
So I looked back, wondering which games have I talked about already? It was Sonic 1 through 3, Sonic and Knuckles and Sonic Spinball. We're only on the 6th game, but I had fun expressing my feelings over a franchise that has influenced my life in video gaming.
Next is Sonic CD! Continuing on the console games.
Here is a FULL GAME Speedrun (TAS), US version.
It was originally for the Sega/Mega CD, which I first played it on, then branched out to PC. It was also available in the Sonic Gems Collection for gamecube and PS2. I bought the PC version and the CD is completely scratched up and worn out for playing it too much. And when I mean "too much", I mean both playing the game and playing the soundtrack. I would put in it my stereo's CD player.
I mentioned this before in an earlier Sonic entry: I really enjoy the soundtrack of Sonic CD. I never thought I would like the music so much, and it makes me remember that I have a tendency to like video game music even back then. I like both EU/JP and American versions almost equally. What I don't understand is why did both versions leave in the music themes for the past and future stages?
Let me get into the game.
Not sure what I can say about the level design (sans special stages, look below). It's mostly what you expect from a 2-D game. In the first level, you can see Sonic's backside when goes up a vertical ramp...pretty cool. You have your tropical first level, your water level, your urban city (or factory) level. Stardust Speedway has a nice jazzy design to it with lights and snake-like roads, while Wacky Workbench has this complex feel to it, having magnetic floors, ejection carts (?), and floating blocks. When it comes to levels, those sticks out to me the most. Also, the last level's shrink machine?
The gameplay/controls are simple, much like the 2D games. You have spin dash and up+button gives you a "run dash". Both are used the same way, charging speed, but have different animations. For the "run dash", Sonic's feet becomes like a red wave. Thought it was interesting when I first saw it ;) Or maybe I thought it fit him? Simple controls, simple levels (mostly?), great music, difficult special stages.
One thing that bothered me was Robotnik/Eggman and the special stages. While Robotnik had good boss themes, they're just not a good testament to him being a threat/boss. Robotnik was mostly simple to challenge. Take the first boss for example. You can have trouble with the first boss in Sonic 1, you might slip up and get caught off guard with the drill in Sonic 2, you could get cocky and fall to your death in Sonic 3, you had to jump your arse off in Sonic & Knuckles.
In Sonic CD, the first boss only took a few hits and some high jumping. Easy to figure out; even more easier if you get hit and are invisible. Same with final boss; in Tidal Tempest boss, you barely had to worry about drowning and in Quartz Quadrant, you had to run and jump. Personally, I think the toughest bosses of Sonic CD were from the following stages:
- Stardust Speedway
- Collision Chaos
- Wacky Workbench
Collision Chaos's, freakin' PINBALL, can be quite easy if you're accurate. For the first time, it just wasn't. Wacky Workbench, I think my main problem was timing the jumps and the electric floor. Stardust Speedway has my favorite boss (click to view), difficult because of one-hit death beam and the obstacles. You had to stay in front and reach the end. Quartz Quadrant might've gave me a problem.
A unique element to Sonic CD was the time traveling. Each Stage had a Past and a Future, which you can travel to when touching signposts and running at high speed. Past and Future have differnet level designs and music. There is a GOOD FUTURE and a BAD FUTURE (also with different music), which bothered me. There were a couple of ways to get a GOOD FUTURE, by obtaining the time stones, or by entering the PAST version and destroying a couple of machines. I wasn't good art achieving neither goal.
OH, the timestones was terrible! Bad controls and bad jump timing for me. So I was never able to get a GOOD ENDING in Sonic CD.
MUSIC! MUSIC! Because there are two game versions with different music, I'm torn on what to show.
Let's start with PalmTree Panic. The Past version is beautiful. Past version of Stardust Speedy fits the jazzy look of the level.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yitJY0Z9MLM
Palmtree Panic - Past Version (Present, Jp/ue ver)
http://youtu.be/wNT7V25flQQ
Stardust Speedway - Past Version
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXUOESoi9zo
Here's the Special Stage!
The OP and ED themes of Sonic CD are different in each game version. U.S version has "SONIC BOOM" for both opening and endings theme, while in the Jpn/EU version the OP is "Sonic‐You Can Do Anything" and the ED is "Cosmic Eternity‐Believe in Yourself". Female vocal of both songs are from Utoku Keiko. Spirited singer!
At first I thought, "this is quite strange", but it's Sonic. ^_^;
I didn't watch though; for the past few days, I've been concerned. No, second thought, I haven't been that mentally strong since last week. But on Tuesday, or was it Wednesday, I thought I found my answer when it comes to "life values".
I'll have to stay strong somehow. I am totally useless when sad.
SONIC TIME!
Anyways, more Sonic MEMORIES!
So I looked back, wondering which games have I talked about already? It was Sonic 1 through 3, Sonic and Knuckles and Sonic Spinball. We're only on the 6th game, but I had fun expressing my feelings over a franchise that has influenced my life in video gaming.
Next is Sonic CD! Continuing on the console games.
Here is a FULL GAME Speedrun (TAS), US version.
It was originally for the Sega/Mega CD, which I first played it on, then branched out to PC. It was also available in the Sonic Gems Collection for gamecube and PS2. I bought the PC version and the CD is completely scratched up and worn out for playing it too much. And when I mean "too much", I mean both playing the game and playing the soundtrack. I would put in it my stereo's CD player.
I mentioned this before in an earlier Sonic entry: I really enjoy the soundtrack of Sonic CD. I never thought I would like the music so much, and it makes me remember that I have a tendency to like video game music even back then. I like both EU/JP and American versions almost equally. What I don't understand is why did both versions leave in the music themes for the past and future stages?
Let me get into the game.
Not sure what I can say about the level design (sans special stages, look below). It's mostly what you expect from a 2-D game. In the first level, you can see Sonic's backside when goes up a vertical ramp...pretty cool. You have your tropical first level, your water level, your urban city (or factory) level. Stardust Speedway has a nice jazzy design to it with lights and snake-like roads, while Wacky Workbench has this complex feel to it, having magnetic floors, ejection carts (?), and floating blocks. When it comes to levels, those sticks out to me the most. Also, the last level's shrink machine?
The gameplay/controls are simple, much like the 2D games. You have spin dash and up+button gives you a "run dash". Both are used the same way, charging speed, but have different animations. For the "run dash", Sonic's feet becomes like a red wave. Thought it was interesting when I first saw it ;) Or maybe I thought it fit him? Simple controls, simple levels (mostly?), great music, difficult special stages.
One thing that bothered me was Robotnik/Eggman and the special stages. While Robotnik had good boss themes, they're just not a good testament to him being a threat/boss. Robotnik was mostly simple to challenge. Take the first boss for example. You can have trouble with the first boss in Sonic 1, you might slip up and get caught off guard with the drill in Sonic 2, you could get cocky and fall to your death in Sonic 3, you had to jump your arse off in Sonic & Knuckles.
In Sonic CD, the first boss only took a few hits and some high jumping. Easy to figure out; even more easier if you get hit and are invisible. Same with final boss; in Tidal Tempest boss, you barely had to worry about drowning and in Quartz Quadrant, you had to run and jump. Personally, I think the toughest bosses of Sonic CD were from the following stages:
- Stardust Speedway
- Collision Chaos
- Wacky Workbench
Collision Chaos's, freakin' PINBALL, can be quite easy if you're accurate. For the first time, it just wasn't. Wacky Workbench, I think my main problem was timing the jumps and the electric floor. Stardust Speedway has my favorite boss (click to view), difficult because of one-hit death beam and the obstacles. You had to stay in front and reach the end. Quartz Quadrant might've gave me a problem.
A unique element to Sonic CD was the time traveling. Each Stage had a Past and a Future, which you can travel to when touching signposts and running at high speed. Past and Future have differnet level designs and music. There is a GOOD FUTURE and a BAD FUTURE (also with different music), which bothered me. There were a couple of ways to get a GOOD FUTURE, by obtaining the time stones, or by entering the PAST version and destroying a couple of machines. I wasn't good art achieving neither goal.
OH, the timestones was terrible! Bad controls and bad jump timing for me. So I was never able to get a GOOD ENDING in Sonic CD.
MUSIC! MUSIC! Because there are two game versions with different music, I'm torn on what to show.
Let's start with PalmTree Panic. The Past version is beautiful. Past version of Stardust Speedy fits the jazzy look of the level.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yitJY0Z9MLM
Palmtree Panic - Past Version (Present, Jp/ue ver)
http://youtu.be/wNT7V25flQQ
Stardust Speedway - Past Version
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXUOESoi9zo
Here's the Special Stage!
Click to viewThe OP and ED themes of Sonic CD are different in each game version. U.S version has "SONIC BOOM" for both opening and endings theme, while in the Jpn/EU version the OP is "Sonic‐You Can Do Anything" and the ED is "Cosmic Eternity‐Believe in Yourself". Female vocal of both songs are from Utoku Keiko. Spirited singer!
At first I thought, "this is quite strange", but it's Sonic. ^_^;