That's a fast Hedghog
Overview
No one can deny the fact that the Sonic games on the SEGA Genesis were one of the greatest games in terms of game play, sound and most of all graphics during the golden days of 16-bit video gaming. This game can also stack up there with them if you ask me, mainly because it plays more or less similar to them.
This game uses Sonic the Hedgehog 2's stages, but with the music of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & some more tunes which I think could be from later Sonic games (but not 3D Blast I think). All those are mixed up with magnificent 8-bit graphics that show just how powerful the NeoGeo Pocket was with a game one might think would not be possible on such a handheld.
Graphics 8/10
Not bad for an 8-bit system if you ask me. SNK and SEGA have done a wonderful job in re-drawing the Sonic 2 stages on the NGPC, and Sonic's sprite looks well... Chibi, if not cute & he looks pretty cool when running. Sonic also has his trademark 'No, no' pose when he completes an act or gets a Chaos Emerald. There isn't any 3D in here, and the Special Stages are just made with 8-bit colours. Although the backgrounds may not seem as colourful as the Sonic games, the stages seem to make up for it as it shows how great the NGPC managed to portray the game. The artwork in the game aren't great as they seem somewhat 'pixelized', but they were an OK attempt at least.
Gameplay/Controls 8/10
Sonic plays EXACTLY like how you would play him in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 as this game is more or less a re-hashed version of that game. The game consists of 6 zones, a final area & a secret area that can only be accessed when you have all 7 Chaos Emeralds. As in Sonic 2, each area has you face Eggman in one of his not-so-deadly-as-you-might-think-of-a-man-with-an-IQ-of-300+ machines on the 2nd act. On the first act of any area, if you get 50 or more rings, you can access the Special Stages to get the Chaos Emeralds. The Special Stages are exactly like the ones in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 & get harder around the time you get the 3rd Emerald. However, there are 6 zones, and now the 'default' number of Chaos Emeralds (as many Sonic fans know) are 7, so where's the 7th? Well to get the 7th Emerald, just get it from Egg-breath during your battle with him in the final zone. The only thing you get from collecting all 7 Emeralds is getting the 'real' ending after facing Eggman in a machine similar to the secret boss in Sonic Advance 2.
During your play in the acts you may come across diamond-like items, these are puzzle pieces, and I have no idea what their use is! I never even bothered to collect them all, but it seems that collecting them will show you some sort of artwork in the 'Room' mode once you've put the right pieces together..
If during your play you get a Game Over or you shut off your NGPC, then you needn't worry about your progress as any act you were in when you stopped playing can be accessed again by selecting 'Continue' from the main menu..
Although the game uses Sonic the Hedgehog 2's stages, that doesn't mean that the acts are 100% percent the same! No, almost all the stages are different from Sonic 2, not only that, there a lot more routes to take other than the ones that Sonic 2's stages had (i.e. you can complete some acts by going through a different route than you did the last time). The enemies are the same as Sonic 2's by the way, so the only differences are Eggman's machines..
The zones in this game are:.
1- Neo South Island (South Island is the home-island of Sonic if I recall)
2- Secret Plant (This is Chemical Plant in Sonic 2)
3- Cosmic Casino (Casino Night in Sonic 2, but in this one there are no enemies only spikes and all Eggman on the slots to lose you rings)
4- Aquatic Relix (The Ruins zone from Sonic 2)
5- Sky Chase (The stage in Sonic 2 when Sonic's on Tail's plane) and Aerobase (Wing Fortress from Sonic 2)
6- Gigantic Angel (This must be Eggman's sky-base, this stage is Metropolis from Sonic 2, but in here it's only 2 stages, thank god for that- you'd know if you played Sonic 2 ~_~)
7- Lost Utopia (You get to face the easiest final Sonic boss since the first Sonic the Hedgehog game)
The only other characters in this game are Tails, Knuckles, whom you fight as a boss in Zone 4 (if Eggman tricked him again, then I really wonder if he reallys has more brawns than brains) & Metal Sonic who is the same one you fight in Sonic 2 & uses the same pattern, but this time he's easier because you have rings.
So basically it's just Sonic the Hedgehog 2 with 8-bit graphics, but collecting the Chaos Emeralds and Puzzle pieces can keep you entertained for a while. Re-playing the stages again can be fun, but the final stages may not be as interesting as the first ones, but maybe in Time Attack mode.
Sound/Music 6/10
Most of the game's music is from Sonic the Hedgehog 3, but the Special Stage music is similar to Sonic 2's. I really like how they managed to get the NGPC to play the music from the Genesis on it despite the low hardware quality of it. However, when compared to the MP3-like quality of the stages' themes on the Genesis to the WAV-like ones used for the NGPC, they may give you a headache, specially with that 'bling' sound that comes when you get a ring. Other than that are the 'pop' you hear when defeating an enemy or breaking a box and the 'kaboom' when you destroy Eggman's machines. My favourite themes would have to be the Secret Plant ones since they use Hydrocity's themes from Sonic 3 & the boss battle theme which is from Sonic 3 as well.
A final note- when the game starts, you hear the great word 'SEGA!' said with the quality of the SEGA Genesis....ah that word is like music to my ears.....
Replay Value 10/10
There are only 6 Zones & getting all Emeralds & Puzzle pieces from them, as well as a 'Time Attack' mode in the 'Room'. You can also play the stages with a friend by linking the NGPCs together. There isn't much more than that it seems, but you can always reset the game's save data & play again if you feel like it.
Overall 10/10
Like I said it's Sonic the Hedgehog 2 all over again, but this time using 8-bit graphics which stand out the greatness of the NGPC. One of many games worth getting along with the great handheld. I need to note that this game was used as the standard for the Sonic first Advance game as you will notice a few things the same between them. So if you can get an NGPC or download an emulator make sure to get this emerald along as well.
- By Tizoc the Griffon
