Why I'm Still Playing #2: Sonic The Hedgehog (Mega Drive)

Sonic used to be - or still is, depending on how many recent Sonic games you’ve played - cool. Before Shadow and Silver the Hedgehogs, before Black Knights or Secret Rings and even before Sonic Adventure, the Blue Blur was King of the platformer and infinitely more slick than that red-clad plumber that shall not be named.

Unless you’re a fan of retro gaming, or specifically Sega’s mascot, you’re going to be hard pushed to remember just how popular Sonic was back in the ‘90s, and who can blame you? Sega’s attempts to modernise the lightning-fast hog for a present-day audience have seen mixed reactions.

Regardless of how far from grace Sonic has fallen in recent years, his early outings still form some of the finest platforming memories for many. Speed is what made Sonic so revolutionary when he debuted, and it’s speed that still makes him unique today. It’s perhaps his strongest and weakest attribute. The fundamental mechanic that Sonic must run fast may possibly be why the Hog hasn’t translated well to a 3D plane, and the evidence for such an observation becomes clearer when you take into account that both Sonic 4 and the 2D sections of Sonic Generations, whilst not received as well as the original games, have gained much more praise than any of the 3D titles Sega have released in the last decade.

But the Mega Drive games weren’t just a one trick pony. Sound, enemy and level design all contributed to Sonic’s popularity in the 16-bit era, and when supersonic speed was mixed into the formula, Sega had a genre-defining series on their hands.

Sonic The Hedgehog’s release in 1991 saw the establishment of both the fundamental gameplay of the series and the beginning of Sonic and Dr. Robotnik’s (Dr. Eggman in Japan) bitter rivalry. The cool, calm and carefree hedgehog is the complete antithesis of what Eggman stands for, and the foundation of their relationship. It’s little wonder why their conflict is as long-lasting as Mario and Bowser’s similar scuffles: its imagery as iconic as Sonic’s sweaty sneakers.

The first in the trilogy also established the three-act structure of each stage, the famous Green Hill Zone, and the wacky inventions of Eggman that had to be bested at the end of each one. Loop de loops, spiralling tubes and catchy bit tunes all made StH mesmerizing to gamers who had never seen such unique gameplay. Not until the release of Sonic The Hedgehog 2 in 1992 though, did the indigo-blue hog gain his greatest asset… the Spin Dash.

Widely regarded to be the best Sonic game ever, StH2 improved on everything the first did well. The inclusion of the aforementioned new ability meant Sonic could build up an incredible amount of speed on the spot by mashing the action button and then letting it loose - your eyeballs simply couldn’t adjust straight away with how fast the screen moved. With the inclusion of Tails’ first appearance, memorable stages such as Chemical Plant Zone and even greater replay value, it’s no surprise that StH2 is seen as the pinnacle of the series.

But for me, Sonic 3 is, and always will be, the best in the series. Huge variations in different paths levels could take you, refined controls and beautiful aesthetics are what make Sonic 3, for me, both infinitely replayable and the prime example of Sonic’s greatest adventure. With the addition of Sonic & Knuckles’ release in the same year (which retrospectively, could be seen as one of the earliest examples of add-on content), and the ability to mount the latter’s cartridge on to the former’s, you were able to play through both games as if they were one, making the adventure one of quite epic proportions.

With added bonuses such as Knuckles becoming a playable character, the inclusion of an even crazier version of Super Sonic (Hyper Sonic) and a secret final stage which had you flying through space as him, there’s no doubt in my mind that Sega created their greatest masterpiece with Sonic 3 & Knuckles. Fast-forward 20 years, and we’ve yet to see another entry in the series that has even come close to replicating its success. Let’s all keep hoping Sonic fans, there’s still some juice left in those old sneakers yet.

There’s a special treat this week, in the form of a special contribution from Ryan Davies, where he regales us all with a fantastic tale of why he loves Crusader Kings II so, so much. Read below to find out why…

 

Why I'm still playing: Crusader Kings II

I’ve always, always, always been a huge fan of strategy gaming. I’ve been playing Total War games since I can first remember, and some of my favourite childhood games were the likes of Age of Empires, Red Alert and Rise of Nations. It’s one of those preferences that I’ve maintained throughout my life and has genuinely shaped me into the person I am today. An interest in military history, a big time PC gamer, a huge board game fan; these are all interests and passions that I’ve developed through my love for strategy video games.

What’s interesting about this, is how the types of strategy game that I enjoy have gradually changed over the years. Relatively simple RTS games like Command & Conquer gave way to Rome: Total War and its increased strategic depth many years back (although Company of Heroes still holds a place in my heart), while the Total War series has slowly been overshadowed by a totally different form of strategy game.

Grand strategy gaming has taken a strong hold of me, and almost anything by Paradox Interactive now has me captivated. Crusader Kings II is the epitome of this new interest; incredibly complex, beautifully diverse and near-endlessly replayable. The game has been out for a couple of years now and yet I still play a new campaign every so often, campaigns which can consume a lot of my time. Crusader Kings isn’t the kind of game you can log out of and simply forget. 

There are a few things that have kept it so fresh for so long. The first is the incredible depth and breadth of the base game; there are very few titles out there, none in my opinion, that offer such wildly different experiences every time you play. With so many nations and families to choose from, there’s always an excuse to try something new. I’ve also never played a Crusader Kings II campaign where I haven’t learned something new; I’m almost 200 hours into the game and still discovering new things.

The other key to CKII’s longevity is the incredible amount of post-release support that Paradox has provided for the game. As I mentioned, the game is now two years old, yet they’re still releasing a fantastic combination of sizable free updates and generally excellent DLC. If a game like Call of Duty dragged out the DLC for as long as this, it would drown in a sea of hatred; yet the fans of Paradox and their grand strategy titles are so infatuated by them, we’d probably buy just about anything they threw at us.

If you don’t own it, go buy it.