Sonic the Hedgehog made a major impact on the videogame industry way back in 1991. Regardless of what you think of his adventures since then, any character that can last 15 years is special; or at the very least is "respectable."
Nintendo got me into gaming but Sega and Sonic made me stay, Sonic made me a hardcore gamer. I love many of Sonic's games so much that I plan on getting a Sonic the Hedgehog tattoo.
It won't only honor my favorite videogame character, but also stand as a sort of monument to my commitment to gaming. Do you remember the moment you "went hardcore?"
When Sega announced they were bringing the original Genesis version over to Gameboy Advance (GBA) I was overjoyed. One of my favorite games coming to one of my favorite handhelds! This is a win-win right? WRONG - Not only is Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis (Sonic) a horrible port, I'll go there: this version is the worst game ever made.
Where do I start? When you power up the GBA the first thing you'll notice is the background music has been changed. Sonic's famous "jingle" has been reinterpreted.
Just about every sound effect (if not everything) has been re-recorded as well as the background music. This wouldn't be an issue if the soundtrack and effects sucked, but this is Sonic. The original soundtrack and effects are iconic and didn't deserve to be altered... but at least they fit with this mess.
I preferred to play with the sound low, the "new" compositions made my eardrums burst. Bone shards stabbed my inner ear, blood spilled everywhere - maybe I'm being a little dramatic.
If you look at Sonic in screen shots it looks like a pixel for pixel port of the original (besides some cropping). I wouldn't expect anything less from the GBA.
The little system that could has handled breathtaking sprite heavy 2D (including the fantastic Sonic Advance series), so why but not a 15 year old Genesis game?
This game looks like the landmark Genesis original but it doesn't move like it. It's obvious all the bugs weren't worked out of the game engine, there are few moments where the frame rate doesn't drop to ensure maximum lag. Sonic feels like he's constantly moving underwater.
Most stages can still be conquered easily until you make it to the Labyrinth Zone where you're actually underwater part of the time. Thanks to the harsh graphic flaw, Labyrinth Zone 1-3 is far more difficult and frustrating than it should be.
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