/vr/ - Retro Games

Sonic 2 is by far one of the most recognizeable title in the series, to many it's their introduction to the character, most likely bundled in with the SEGA Genesis in the 1990's. I know many feel that Sonic 3 & Knuckles is superior, and I can see why that's the case, but in the end it's a matter of preference, and to me Sonic 2 always felt more right for some reason, the stages being more condensed and shorter in general is usually seen as something Sonic 3 & Knuckles improved upon by increasing the scope, but to me Sonic 2's size always felt just right, and the sense of speed is exhilarating, I love it.

However, there's one thing that stops me from replaying Sonic 2 as much as I'd like, something that makes this title, which in my eyes is pretty much the perfect Sonic title, not so perfect at all, and that's the Special Stages. I don't know how many of you are like me in this regard, but when I love my experience with a video game, simply getting to the end doesn't feel quite right, I always aim for 100% completion when it comes to my favorite titles, or else the whole thing just isn't as satisfying, especially if not getting the 100% results in a bad ending, which just spoils the whole experience for me.

Sadly, Sonic 2 is the most difficult Sonic title to 100% on the SEGA Genesis, the Special Stages are tough, if you don't have them memorized then you'll fail, especially if you prefer playing with Sonic & Tails. Also, trying to go to the Special Stages constantly ruins the flow of stages, since you have to hold on to your rings as much as possible while looking for a checkpoint, it forces you to play in a slow and cautious manner, instead of going fast. I beat Sonic 2 100% once, by going to the Special Stages constantly, but that ruined the pacing, I wish it was more fun to go for 100% completion in Sonic 2.