The post below about Sonic Gems Collection was totally a setup for this post. Haha, no apologies. ^^

I will, however, put it in a nifty cut, becuase it’s pretty ranty. Main idea: Game collections are starting to be awesome because they’re reflecting an era in which simplicity and complexity were, in my opinion, perfectly balanced.

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Sonic CD is one of those games that I’ve always ogled from afar: I was too poor as a kid to have a Sega CD, I couldn’t ever get it running emulated, I was a fan of the (i’m making up this hierarchy here) 2nd generation Sonic games (Sonic 2-3, K), so the visuals and controls, being very 1st-gen Sonic, looked murky and daunting. Enter this:

I was on edge from the day it came out until I obtained it today. This is my bloody chance to finally play Sonic CD. At the outset, I didn’t really care about anything else that would be on the disc, I was so enamored by the idea of playing SCD that I missed the details of what’s on the disc.

Sonic CD is pretty cool, I’ve decided. It feels really weird to me though. I only played the original Sonic once, and that was after being spoiled by the fluid and beautiful Sonic 2. The element that really makes Sonic 2 is the spin dash. An instant burst of speed, easily controlled and satisfyingly executed. Sonic CD, having been developed parallel to Sonic 2, has a sort of half-ass spin dash that’s not very intuitive. Hold down, hit A, wait for a moment, release down. Clumsy, but it works after some practice. Sonic CD also kicks major ass in an area that’s (obviously) very important. Level design. Forgetting for a moment that there are parallel past, present and future versions of each level, the levels are very non-gimmicky, as Sonic 2’s, and moreso Sonic 3’s, levels could be. The whole package of zones feels inspired, and themes often pervade each individual act.

The wonderfully detailed graphics fall somewhat short of Sonic 2’s cleanness, and way short of Sonic 3’s OMG BRIGHT COLORS. I like em though. There’s lots of stuff going on in them.

And the intro is nice. It looks kind of Toriyama-esque to me, it’s definitely miles away from the US Sonic cartoons. I didn’t listen to the game music much, but I rocked some Ben Kweller and Outkast with Sonic.

That Mobius-strip-looking feet blur is kinda cool too.

Enough about Sonic CD though, it’s hyped enough. The rest of the collection is even cooler than Sonic CD. It’s made of Sonic underdogs. The Game Gear Sonic/Tails games, Sonic the Fighters, Sonic R, and the two Vectorman games as unlockables.

R. Okay, I have to admit, I am hooked on Sonic R. I freaking love it. It’s racing that feels like Sonic. It has stuff to unlock after you win all the races, and those extra characters rock. (I’m really wondering where that creepy floating Tails doll came from.) Out-of-the-way shortcuts often show you hidden things that you wouldn’t expect. Controls are workable, but rather awkward in the beginning. The graphics have been upgraded and are simple and crispy.

I can talk like that all night, but it dosen’t explain why I love it so much. I just do. Damn.

The Fighters is odd. It’s nice-looking and all, but it’s really weird to play. Often, I can’t beat Bark (the poler bear, haha), and the control scheme and difficulty feel really cheap. Maybe it’s just me, I’ve never been good at Virtua Fighter-like games. It’s fun though, and the historical value fully justifies its inclusion in the collection.

I didn’t get into the GG Sonics all that much, though I did play a lot of Sonic Drift 2. Maybe I’m just in a racing mood. It must have been great as a portable game, because I’m pretty sure I devoted enough time to it to kill a GG’s battery. It helps to not think of it as a ‘crappy Mario Kart,’ but as a Sonic-themed Pole Position.

Tails’ Adventure looks promising, it’s like a little Mario World, a little RPG, and Tails.

Tails’ Sky Patrol was fun, but I could get nowhere in it. It’s Tails as a helicopter armed with a ring, the role he was always meant to play. XD

Oh yeah, and I’m definitely not disappointed in Streets of Rage being replaced with Vectorman for the American release. Vectorman was groundbreaking to me when it came out, and I’m going to enjoy playing it again. I just took a peek at it tonight, and the animation still astounds me.