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(Anonymous) (Unknown) 27th Mar 2012 10:17
"Not the easiest of games, but still satisfying."
Introduction
I remember the first time I ever heard of Sonic the Hedgehog. A kid at Sunday School bought in his copy and showed it off proudly to everyone (I may have told this story in my Sonic the Hedgehoh Geneis review, but I'll tell it again here). I was like: "What on Earth? A blue hedgehog? This is too silly".
This was until I got my first taste of what Sonic's games were like - watching someone play this game; well, the Master System version of it anyway. Since then, I have developed a huge liking for Sonic.
Gameplay - 7/10
The gameplay's much like virtually every Sonic game - you run through the levels, collecting rings and defeat the boss at the end. Unlike the gamegear version of Sonic the Hedgehog, which had some similarities to its counterpart on the Genesis, this is a world apart from the other version of Sonic 2.
The first thing to be aware of is the difficulty level - it seems all over the place. The first zone features one of the most unbelieveably hard boss fights I've ever seen - you must avoid bouncing balls that use various movement patterns, that you have a split second to dodge - and to top this, the boss levels are done without rings (and they're mostly harder than those on the original). This is a particularly cruel move by Sega, who evidently wanted to make things as challenging as possible. Likewise, one of the other bosses is a "Sumo Pig" (as I like to call him", who gives you very little warning as to how he will move so you can actually jump or duck.
On top of this, the choice of the ordering of levels is a little strange. The second level forces you to master the art of hang gliding. On a plus side, this is something never seen since in a Sonic game; however, this is infuriating at first, and took me ages to figure out the controls (and the manaul isn't a lot of help). This is followed by the mandatory waterbound level, and Sonic does get a cool ability to skim across the surface of the water (the second act is enitrely underwater, and takes a lot of practise). Another new addition in the underwater level is the use of bubbles that Sonic can actually float in, which is a concept I love (only seen here and in Sonic Triple Trouble and Sonic Blast).
After the first few levels, things get a little more straightforward, with levels that are actually manageable. If you can survive all of this, there is a very enjoyable (and challenging) level called the Scrambled Egg Zone where you have to use trial and error (and memorisation) to get through an insane labyrinth of tubes.
Aside from the wildly varying difficullty, boss fights are interesting, in that they rarely feature Dr. Robotnik, who appears just a few times in this game. The final fight is certainly weird, but is far too easy once you get the hang of it. There is also a bizarre moment where Robotnik actually saves Sonic's life after he has no choice but to plunge towards a pit of lava (my suspicions are that Sega thought it would be possible to vault over it, and discovered their error at the last minute, so slotted in this contrived event).
The chaos emeralds are back, and can be found at various stages throughout the game - and here they allow access to a hidden level. The emeralds are often reasonably challenging to find, although the true final zone seems a little tame in comparison to what you've been through before.
My only big disappointment is that due to the story, you cannot actually play as Tails in this game (if you want a game where you play as Tails, try Sonic Triple Trouble).
The other annoyance is that, like in so many other game gear Sonic games, you can barely collect a single ring when it is knocked out of you, since only about one or two will appear to scatter across the floor.
Story - 7/10
Dr. Robotnik has kidnapped Tails! Sounds a bit like a Mario game with Mario substituted with Sonic, Peach substituted with Tails and Bowser substituted with Dr. Robotnik. Robotnik also has his creation, Silver Sonic that gives you the final emerald if you meet the right conditions. It's not a great story, but at least it's not a carbon copy of the Genesis version.
Graphics - 7/10
It's certainly not the best that the Gamegear has managed, but certainly good for its time. There are some nice backgrounds to the levels. I am rather fond of the "stormy" design of one of the levels, with lightning flashes in the background.
Sound - 7/10
The sound is okay. It's pretty average for the Game Gear, but nothing like as horrendous as some of the tunes that surfaced in the later Sonic games on this system.
Play Time/Replay Value - 9/10
To get total satisfaction out of this game and even to actually beat it could take some time, especially with the difficulty level of the game. There may be a level select cheat, but don't be tempted to use it to cheat your way onto the last level. The game is fixed so that you can only rescue Tails if you got all six emeralds.
Final Verdict
Buy this. It's a decent game, and as long as you're not the type to get stroppy just because you find a particular level or boss too hard, then this is a game you will like.
Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 07/07/05
(Anonymous) (Game Gear review) 27th Mar 2012 10:16
"A bungled masterpiece"
This game has a seldom-realized importance in the Sonic The Hedgehog chronology. That lovable blue hedgehog's second outing on the Game Gear is one of two classic style games where he doesn't find himself marginalized by the almighty Tails. Just like in his first adventure on the Game Gear, Sonic gets to do what he does best here, and he does it in an appropriately heroic fashion. Sonic 2 on the Genesis introduced us to Tails, a bumbling sidekick who follows Sonic around and tries to be like him. The orange two-tailed fox makes only a cameo appearance here, probably because the designers couldn't find a way to have him follow Sonic around on the Game Gear.
Dr. Robotnik escaped after his first defeat at Sonic's hands, and now he's back with a new bid for power in Sonic's world. The ante is upped considerably here. While Robotnik is capturing and imprisoning innocent animals again, he's also kidnapped Tails. Sonic embarks on a quest to defeat Robotnik once again and rescue his friend.
This game closely follows the motifs established by the first Sonic game. All of the familiar game elements are present and accounted for. Side-scrolling action across seven zones, each with three levels (or "acts"). There are more rings here than were seen in the first game. The TV monitor power-ups are present, although the shield is conspicuously absent. There are plenty of 1-Ups to be found here. Each level has at least two of them, and some have three or more. Many of these 1-Ups are cleverly hidden. In a nutshell, this game has even more cool stuff to find and collect than the first game had. It also introduces loops to the Game Gear.
The level progression in this game is strange. Whereas the first game followed a logical progression from the Green Hills toward Robotnik's city, the sequence here doesn't make much sense. We start out in an underground mining area, move on to an area that's high up in the clouds, then we're traversing a lake. After this, we find ourselves in the Green Hill Zone, where I'd think the game should have started. From there, we explore a mountain and crystal mine before arriving at Dr. Robotnik's stronghold. While the progression is strange, it's very nice to see some new locations rather than just retreads of what was seen in Sonic's first adventure.
Level designs here are an improvement over the first Sonic game, offering us intricate layouts to explore, sometimes with alternate routes. There are also numerous gadgets for Sonic to interact with. He can hop in a mine cart and speed along on a mine track. He uses a hang glider to soar over the clouds, which takes some practice to get used to. He can zip across the surface of the lake while spinning if he gets a good running start. While underwater, he hops into a large air bubble and rides it upward. There are numerous springs that propel him to great heights. He spins around fly wheels and uses them to catapult himself upward. Finally, he zips along through intricate networks of transport tubes. Hazards are plentiful here. Especially the spikes, which are way too prevalent. They're everywhere in this game. Some new enemy robots make an appearance here. While the crab-bots and wasp-bots are present, there are a couple of new guys. I especially like the lobsters in the underwater level.
During the third act of each zone, Sonic meets up with a boss character. These are robotic animals that Dr. Robotnik has created. There's a crab, a large bird, a seal, a dog, and a porcupine. Each has his own unique method of attack and a weakness that Sonic can exploit. For the most part, these guys are a treat. They're expertly designed. Toward the end, Sonic meets up with Metal Sonic, a robotic hedgehog who has Sonic's abilities and some surprises of his own. This encounter is another treat, with the two hedgehogs bouncing off of each other as they duke it out. On the whole, Dr. Robotnik is more inventive here than he was during his first attempt at conquering the animal world. He's always trying out new ideas.
Dr. Robotnik makes two cameo appearances here. The first is during the first boss encounter, where he saves Sonic from a long fall into lava. That's rather strange. I'm not sure what that's all about. Robotnik then drops Sonic into a boss arena on a slope next to the crab, and hopes to do him in with bouncing bombs or force him into the crab's waiting pincers. Remarkably, this is the hardest part of the game. Just like Sonic's first adventure on the Game Gear, there are no rings in the boss levels. One hit and Sonic is toast. The thing that makes this encounter so difficult is that the bombs bounce down the slope at varying speeds and heights, making them challenging to avoid.
Dr. Robotnik's second appearance comes at the end. The scenario here is similar to the first game's end-game encounter, but with some new twists thrown in. Breaking through that glass window and chasing Robotnik through the corridor is just as thrilling here as it was in the first game. Robotnik always has a contingency plan for escape in the event that things go wrong. It comes as no surprise here that the maniacal inventor retreats to fight another day. I admire Robotnik for his good qualities. He's a consummate inventor, always persevering, and he thinks ahead. He's a great villain character.
Just like in the first game, Sonic releases imprisoned animals from a metal prison after he defeats a zone's boss. Watching the animals spring from the prison and scamper away in every direction is just as thrilling here as it was in the first game.
Aside from that first boss (who is a bit too difficult for his own good), the bosses here are an improvement over those in the first Sonic game. I especially like the seal, dog, and porcupine. There's a lot of personality here, reflected in each guy's unique style of attack.
Just like in Sonic's first Game Gear adventure, the Chaos Emeralds are present here, and they're again hidden in the levels (as opposed to a "special stage"). I like this, as I've always thought the special stages in other Sonic games interrupt the action during the normal levels. Some of the Chaos Emeralds here are difficult to come by, and some are hidden in sneaky places. If you don't find them all, you're not permitted to advance to the final zone (instead, the game ends after Sonic vanquishes Metal Sonic). While the Chaos Emeralds were optional in the first game, they're essential here if we want to rescue Tails.
Visually, this game looks about as good as Sonic's first adventure on the Game Gear. Everything is presented well, with solid graphical quality. The characters are larger here (they were pretty small in the first Sonic game). The background music isn't quite as good as that of the first Sonic game, but it's better than musical themes heard in later entries in this franchise. While the underground theme is energetic and fits the fast pacing there, themes for the sky high and underwater zones appropriately fit a slower pace. The mountain theme has a good sound to it that blends with the precarious feel of navigating over conveyor belts and avoiding traps. Overall, they did a great job of matching each zone with a theme that musically captures the feel of it. Sound effects are all up to par. We get the same quality effects as we got the first time around.
The most common complaints with this game include the first boss, the much reviled Spike City, and the equally reviled Scrambled Egg Zone. I agree, the first boss is too difficult for his own good; but after that it's all smooth sailing. Even the final confrontation with Robotnik doesn't manage to be as challenging as that first encounter. Spike City is an area filled with spikes that Sonic needs to traverse while en route to the Green Hill Zone's boss. He has to use springs to get around while avoiding prevalent pits full of spikes. Remarkably, getting to the boss there is harder than beating the boss. The Scrambled Egg Zone is a network of transport tubes that connect caverns in a crystal mine. There are prevalent spikes here as well, and some of the transport tubes will drop our hero into a pit of spikes if he goes the wrong way while navigating through the network. There are quite a few cheap shots here. It takes practice and perseverance to get through this gauntlet. With the learning curve conquered, it becomes quite manageable and loads of fun, as there are many rings and 1-Ups here to collect.
Sonic 2 improves on the original in many ways, but it also suffers from a few notable flaws. While I can forgive the rest of the flaws here, that first boss is way too glaring to be ignored. He presents quite a road block to average Joe casual gamer. Other than that, this is a perfectly entertaining game. It's also the last time we get to see Sonic doing what he does best before his buddy Tails begins stealing the show.
Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 02/24/05, Updated 08/18/11
Game Release: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (US, 1992)
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History
This title was first added on 17th July 2007
This title was most recently updated on 30th January 2018