I largely agree, until this point. The Adventure games are pretty terrible, particularly if you go back and replay them now. Check out this video Giant Bomb posted just a few days ago in celebration of the Dreamcast’s 10 year anniversary…it doesn’t hold up well:
That first level is the best part of the game, with the Sonic levels getting progressively worse the deeper into it you go. And that’s not even getting into the other character nonsense…I mean, fishing? Really?
ETA: Equating the Adventure games to Mario 64 is punishable by death in some states
Yeah, okay, Big was kind of lame but I replayed it and 2 recently (well, the be fair, the DX version, not the Dreamcast one, not sure how they compare). The controls are a little floaty and there are some camera issues, but it’s still a very good game. Even Heroes (to date the only 3D Sonic game that made you earn the emeralds) and Shadow aren’t as bad as everyone makes them out to be, they’re not on my list of great games, but they’re definitely in mediocre territory. Keep in mind my perceptions are partially colored by the very existence of Sonic '06 and Black Knight…
You’re right, Mario 64 was so terribly boring compared to Adventure that it’s really not fair.
If you can ignore 4/6 of it, it’s a fun, flawed romp. Those Chaos Emerald digging segments are some of the worst moments of the entire Sonic series, and the stupid mech shooting levels aren’t much better.
The digging stages were only bad if you were trying for 100% (see the most obsessed thread), but otherwise were relaxing. The worst one of them was probably the prison one with Rouge, but even that one was pretty cool and gave you sense of urgency. I found exploring them (especially for the animals for the A-life Chao section) to be really fun, much more fun than half the Stars in Mario 64, though I suppose I might agree they were terribly flawed if you compared it to Banjo Kazooie, but that’s just because BK fundamentally screws everything in remotely the same model in terms of greatness (including Tooie, unfortunately).
The mechs were easy - really, really easy. But there’s just something fundamentally awesome about the missile storm of doom that ensues during them. Metal Harbor with Eggman has to be the best, you walk through a G.U.N. robot construction bay and just ravage the place getting “pefect” score modifiers galore while watching everything explode in quantities that Michael Bay would call overkill. I do think Gamma’s stages were more fun though, Adventure gets a little mark above 2 in that respect.
Edit: Though the Rogue/Tails driving stages I think we all can agree should never have even made it into design, much less release.
City of Heroes has some fast-running and high-jumping powers. It’s not a platformer, but it does have a lot of skyscrapers and such that you can jump onto (and fall off of, etc.).
inFamous has platforming sections, and while you don’t run or jump any faster than normal, you have extraordinary climbing abilities, you can glide through the air and you can skate across powerlines while sniping people in slow motion. Makes for a fun, if different, platforming experience.
Mirror’s Edge is a game based on parkour, basically real-life platforming. You run and jump much as a normal human would, but that regular human is a world-class sprinter, gymnast, climber and superspy combined.
There was that old ninja game for the NES (Legend of Kage, perhaps?) where the ninja jumps super-high – as in soaring across tree canopies high – while lobbing bazillions of shurikens. Those ninja powers are emulated in a lot of modern games, but they usually take the form of wallwalking/incredible balance/parkour.
I’m confused–are you just getting one of those? (the lack of an “or” between the first two is throwing me off)
If just one, if you want practically a guaranteed good time, Sonic Mega Collection is the way to go. It contains all four of the “classic” Sonic games (barring Sonic CD) and a couple of others thrown in that can be fun in their own right (Except 3D Blast–that one’s pretty bad). Skip “Gems” (talk about misnomers)–it contains a lot of spin-off Sonic titles, none of which are particularly memorable, with the sole exception of the universally-praised Sonic CD (I personally haven’t played this one much, but from what I’ve seen, the critics seem right on.
If you’re looking for one of Sonic’s newer, 3D adventures, either Sonic Adventure DX: Director’s Cut or Sonic Adventure 2: Battle will both do the trick; they’re about equally shitty
Ahhgckch, I’m torn. I started out really wanting the Mega Collection but then I watched a video of SA2 on Youtube and it looked pretty fun, and it seems to have gotten good reviews. I guess it’s a divisive game though, huh?
I’d go Mega first. Gems is great, it has what usually has equal fan support as Sonic 3 and Knuckles for the best (Sonic CD), but the Gamegear titles can’t hold a candle to the originals.
The Adventure series, while great, isn’t quite as nice as the originals, and if you have a DS I’d probably recommend the Rush series if you really liked the games on Mega Collection before I’d recommend the Adventure series (even though I do really, really like it).
You watched a YouTube video? Now you know what it’s like to play the game! =P Okay, so I exaggerate, but much of the best parts of that game is like watching a video, as all you have to do is hold ‘forward’ on the control stick while Sonic handles the rest on auto-pilot.
Actually, let me elaborate. Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 both have some legitimately fun moments–particularly the Sonic stages, even if they’re marred by some control issues. However, and here’s the problem, not only do the “Sonic” stages comprise 1/3 or less of each game, but they progressively get less interesting (I’m reminded of that one level in SA1 where you’re solving gravity-puzzles by flipping switches and going through doors–ugh.)
Both games open great–the first level of each is fantastic (I"m guessing one of the videos you watched involved a semi truck? Because that was sweet). Unfortunately, the rest of either game is not of the same quality.
You know what Cisco, now that I’ve thought about it even more, and reflected on my time with each…I might–with some hesitation–recommend Sonic Adventure 2, even over Mega Collection.
Yeah, I know–it’s a weird suggestion coming from me. Here’s why I think it might be better for you: it’s the closest of all of them to, say, Mario 64 or Galaxy–that is, a 3D Adventure that has quite a lot of content (even if I dislike a lot of it)–and, perhaps more importantly–it allows you to save.
My concern now, in thinking about it more, with** Mega Collection** is that those games were from a different era, where you couldn’t save, and a Game Over meant you started all the way back from Level 1. As one who played them then, I enjoyed them a lot, but I don’t know if I’d have the patience these days, and I’d hate for you to buy a game, only to find you tire of it because of frustration. Plus all four original Sonic games all play very similarly, so if you dislike one of them, odds are the rest won’t change your mind.
SA2 does offer a good amount of variety and the Sonic levels are fun. You know, if that’s the way you’re leaning, I say go for it. Also, I’d recommend it over SA1, because they did away with the horrible overworld concept, where you had to ‘run’ (more like jog) around town to help people out (and my description makes it somehow sound even more interesting than it really is.)
I think that one was from two actually. Eternal Engine iirc. Of course, since Sonic and Knuckle’s Death Egg Sega has made use and overuse of the gravity thing so it’s entirely possible there was one in both games.
Yeah okay, I’ll admit some of the songs have a few lines that make me mildly embarrassed to listen to (Open Your Heart had the most gratuitous out of place use of the word “dude” I’ve ever heard), but most of the lines are okay. Hell, even the ones filled with… uh… interesting lyrics (Amy’s theme My Sweet Passion and Tails’ theme Believe in Myself being the prime examples) have good beats and melodies. Well… all of them except for Knuckle’s redone theme in SA2, his SA1 theme was good though. “GAIZ THIS SONG HAS THE WORDS ‘Follow my rainbow’!!1!” is kind of a weak criticism though, it’s not horribly representative of 99% of the lyrics in the song.
Try some other ones like Supporting Me (the Biolizard boss music) and That’s the Way I Like It (Theme of Metal Harbor) for some nice examples of the game’s music.
You can save in Sonic 3 and Knuckles (always could). Granted, Sonics 1 and 2 are still unforgiving, especially without saves.
Eesh, yeah, the overworld was… lacking in concept. I got lost so much in the Jungle, that place is confusing as hell.
