Vimm's Lair: Genesis Reviews - Sonic The Hedgehog 2

Genesis
Sonic The Hedgehog 2

Graphics:
Sound:
Gameplay:
Overall:
9.46
9.46
9.44
9.48
Votes: 63
Reviews: 2


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Reviewer: milesprower2007 Date: Jan 20, 2006
This has got to be my favorite Sonic game of all time!
The sequel to the all-to-great Sonic the Hedgehog, but this game completely surpasses in every quality! Not to mention, it introduces my favorite character, Tails!

Graphics: 10
The graphics for this game are unbelievable. For an old system, SEGA did a perfect job on Sonic 2's graphics. From Emerald Hill's grassy plains, to Oil Ocean's factories.

Sound: 10
Who could forget the music/sound to this game? I play Sonic 2 sometimes just to hear the music. The sounds are fitting for every moment that you hear them.

Gameplay: 10
This is a game that you can just play over and over again. Trying to get more points than last time, trying to make record times, it never gets old. The special stages are the HARDEST in any Sonic game I've ever played. Especially getting the Silver Emerald, me and my bro still have trouble getting it.
2 player vs. mode is still fun to this day. I ocassionally play my bro a match or two, he beats me most of the time though...

Overall: 10
In my honest opinion, the best Sega Gensis/Megadrive game of all time!
A true masterpiece done by SEGA!

 

Reviewer: Seth Koopa Date: Jun 10, 2005
This was the first Sonic game I got for myself; it was a birthday present. And it's one of those games that shaped my childhood, my creativity and taste forever. It is an absolute masterpiece, and that's nowhere near a strong word.

Graphics: 10
Remarkable. The Sega MegaDrive shows its full potential here. Everything is so alive and rich in colour, much richer than in the original Sonic the hedgehog. The backgrounds themselves aren't flat, but set in layers - what's nearer to you moves faster than that farther away. The zones and badniks are all excellent. I can't find anything bad to say about the use of graphics - it's a complete bull's eye.

Sound: 10
Masatu Nakamura's soundtrack for this game tops as being the most captivating soundtrack I have ever heard in a videogame. It just takes my breath away. It goes beyond catchy - it's just music that touches me deeply. Few video games have done that for me, and none as strongly as this one. From the exciting Chemical plant zone tune to the beautiful end tune, from the Hill top zone to the Super Sonic tune, from Mystic cave zone to the heartstoppingly beautiful tune I only seem to find in the sound test screen (nr. 10), I'm utterly speechless. I can't find a closing line that does my feelings towards the music justice.

Gameplay: 10
This is one of the most fun games I've ever played. It's just so easy to get into yet very challenging, so it will take time and effort to master. The zones are all as imaginative and diverse as they are many. From the starting grassy plain zone to a factory zone, from a cazino night zone (which makes me laugh) to the wing fortress, every zone is original and deeply interesting. You never get the feeling that you've been there, done that as you venture out into the next zone.

You can choose to play as Sonic and Tails together, Sonic alone or Tails alone. If you plan on getting all Chaos emeralds (and you should), I advise you to pick Sonic alone - Tails is not good at avoiding the mines in the Special stage. Ah yes, the Special stage. It's the most challenging and fun Special stage I've ever tried in a Sonic game. The final emerald in particular is hard as nails to get, but once you do, you float off the ground with satisfaction. And then you can become Super Sonic!

There are two modes of play; one is the standard play mode. The other is a 2-player mode where you and a friend can compete against each other as Sonic and Tails, in three zones from the game (with new tunes) as well as a Special stage. Your goal is to get to the end of the zone before your opponent does. This can be great fun, but I personally prefer the one-player mode.

Above all, the game has that "feel" which all of its elements strive to pertain to. And they do, very much so.

Overall: 10
I have used the word masterpiece for other videogames, but here I mean it more than ever. The crown jewel in Sega's Sonic crown, I'll go as far to say that Sonic the hedgehog 2 is one of the best video games of all time. If you have it, consider yourself truly lucky. I do. Sega, I can't thank you enough for releasing this game.

A great feature in this game is that you can listen to the music in the Options screen. This game deserved that feature more than any of the other Sonic games.