tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9013533765370589846.post6988156268180344342..comments2023-08-04T03:20:33.393-06:00Comments on Musings of a Sega Racing Fan: Sonic CD ImpressionsEric4372http://www.blogger.com/profile/09095046432310137155noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9013533765370589846.post-74045029101402363082012-01-10T02:06:02.102-06:002012-01-10T02:06:02.102-06:00Well, according to Sonic Retro's review, he pr...Well, according to Sonic Retro's <a href="http://www.sonicretro.org/2011/12/sonic-cd-the-retro-review/" rel="nofollow">review</a>, he presented a pitch of the game's first stage running flawlessly on iOS and using his engine in July 2009, and word leaked of the XBLA version in August 2011.<br /><br />But how long it took him to develop the engine itself, piece the stage together and make it run exactly like its source, I don't know. It seems he also developed his engine for more than just Sonic in mind. Maybe someone can steer his attention towards the Streets of Rage port.<br /><br />I personally think Sega green-lit it purely because they saw potential sales. With the Retro Engine they released this on iOS, Android, XBLA, PSN and Steam, for a ridiculously low price as well. They probably also realized how weak their own ports (save AM Port team) have been.Sestren NKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09752989234869643274noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9013533765370589846.post-16367343011282488452012-01-10T00:29:55.097-06:002012-01-10T00:29:55.097-06:00Wow, that's just stunning he made (most) of th...Wow, that's just stunning he made (most) of the game from scratch. Talk about determination. How long did it take him to do this--two years?<br /><br />The fact Sega green-lighted the project was interesting too. Like they said, "the guy's worked too hard on this for us to turn it down." Still wonder why Sega rejected the Streets of Rage port. Just befuddling.Eric4372https://www.blogger.com/profile/09095046432310137155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9013533765370589846.post-80740467710543712892012-01-09T19:54:07.925-06:002012-01-09T19:54:07.925-06:00I don't care what anyone says, I loved Adventu...I don't care what anyone says, I loved Adventure 2. And I actually felt nauseous at times playing Shadow The Hedgehog.<br /><br />Considering all the talk of RAGE, I wouldn't have even known it had come out if not for a buddy of mine who is a huge fan of id software. He loves it, but I've never been a fan of FPS games, save the Metroid Prime trilogy.<br /><br />And yes, Taxman recreated Sonic CD in its entirety using the Retro Engine, which he had developed himself. So yeah, it was rebuilt from scratch; it's not a port or an emulation. I think if you look at a video of the Special Stage on the Sega CD version of the game (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNPyWiD2pAc" rel="nofollow">Link</a>), you can really see the difference. The PC and Gamecube versions didn't improve on this. So when you think about how this all came to be, it makes this re-release that much more impressive, and why many in the Sonic community are excited for it. More of Taxman's role than the actual game, it seems.Sestren NKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09752989234869643274noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9013533765370589846.post-15953579081864475052012-01-09T00:37:22.922-06:002012-01-09T00:37:22.922-06:00BTW, when you talk about Taxman's work on the ...BTW, when you talk about Taxman's work on the emulator...did he simply read some ROMs or did he recreate it (to some extent) from scratch himself? Because I saw he made his own Sonic 2D engine and that sounds intriguing.Eric4372https://www.blogger.com/profile/09095046432310137155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9013533765370589846.post-38170957282995249092012-01-08T23:19:11.175-06:002012-01-08T23:19:11.175-06:00Most Sonics have the most colorful games. One of ...Most Sonics have the most colorful games. One of my fave Sonic games is Adventure 2 because I really like the way the levels look. Say what you want about the gameplay but City Escape, Space Colony Ark, the Pyramid level, the Jungle level, Chao Garden, Radical Highway, and even Prison Island looked really good. So it was fun just to look at alone.<br /><br />Too bad Sega didn't get the memo when working on Shadow the Hedgehog. Even Sonic '06 looks plain, regardless of the abysmal gameplay.<br /><br />You raise a good point about hues. This reminds me of RAGE and Gears of War 3, two things I commented on way back...<br /><br />RAGE basically swapped out its hues with green and brown. Kind of like movies with that obnoxious teal/orange/brown/yellow tints. It's a cheap way to convey some sort of mood but it just looks like ass. Now how much do people talk about RAGE nowadays? Hardly at all.<br /><br />And there's GoW3 which, from what I've seen, has brighter, more colorful maps now. Apparently, Epic Games got the memo that the most popular MP maps happen to be the most colorful. Just something to think about. Granted, they're not Sonic colorful (it's still an uber-violent game so a bright backdrop would be absurd) but it's a step in our direction.Eric4372https://www.blogger.com/profile/09095046432310137155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9013533765370589846.post-79581152084503351322012-01-08T21:13:08.118-06:002012-01-08T21:13:08.118-06:00Yeah, the vibrant colors definitely help to mainta...Yeah, the vibrant colors definitely help to maintain a lively mood throughout the game even with its darker tone. Today's game with a post-apocalyptic theme? Take something modern, destroy it, make everything grey or yellow. Honestly bores me to death. Panzer Dragoon did it right though, giving it a dark mood while having elements of beauty throughout.<br /><br />Here, they decided to make the bad futures just as stylish, detailed, animated and vivid as the other stages, making them look badass and awesome in their own right, and some look more interesting than their good futures. And it still feels Sonic. I fell in love with a lot of those dark but vivid futuristic games from the 90's, even if I learned years later that most of them had Akira influence all over them.<br /><br />And the darker feel of this game actually complimented Sonic, as opposed to contrived efforts to give his world attitude (Shadow's game), and games relying entirely on their dark, gritty world/character in order to sell. I play some of these games and feel like they're hammering the message, "You think this is badass." No, you're trying too hard.<br /><br />And actually, Taxman had considered finishing the axed stages, but Sonic Team preferred the core game to be as close to the original as possible. I don't know how unfinished they were.Sestren NKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09752989234869643274noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9013533765370589846.post-73056819130283345302012-01-08T04:45:18.904-06:002012-01-08T04:45:18.904-06:00You know you can right-click and save word verific...You know you can right-click and save word verification pics? I think I saved a few weird ones to my computer.<br /><br />When you say "awesome darker," you're probably talking about the hue's contrast which is really neat. I hate games with little contrast that look all greyed-out and boring. Sega games seldom do that.<br /><br />Hey, I didn't even know there was an "ultimate final battle." Too bad Taxman couldn't get that in. Really sucks since the game desperately needs it with the anti-climatic final boss and all.<br /><br />Oh well, this game has some great ideas on paper that doesn't fully translate to the game. But nonetheless the game's visuals and soundtrack make it all worthwhile IMO.Eric4372https://www.blogger.com/profile/09095046432310137155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9013533765370589846.post-49674128131062470002012-01-07T18:39:58.488-06:002012-01-07T18:39:58.488-06:00And I have to post again saying that (other than s...And I have to post again saying that (other than saying "Damn, that was an unintentional big post again") the actual word verification to publish that comment was "farthut" Fart hut. I have no idea how to react to that.Sestren NKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09752989234869643274noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9013533765370589846.post-30824076165094758332012-01-07T18:37:51.104-06:002012-01-07T18:37:51.104-06:00Personally I thought much of Sonic CD's origin...Personally I thought much of Sonic CD's original appeal was because it was something of a mystery. It came out before Sonic 3, but it was on a system most people didn't own, and the visuals, I thought Sega read my mind about what I really wanted to see in a Sonic game. It was darker. Not creepy, depressing, brooding darker, but awesome darker. As a kid I thought Metal Sonic's design was the coolest thing I had ever seen and nothing matched it for years. The thought of racing a metal doppleganger sounded sweet. But like many others, I didn't play it until years later.<br /><br />But I did play it on the original Sega CD hardware, and while I didn't expect it to be as epic as Sonic 3&K, I did like that it tried something a little different while maintaining the look and feel of the Genesis Sonic games (as opposed to efforts like Spinball and 3D Blast). I had some reservations about the soundtrack, but I'll admit I was a bit spoiled by the DieHard Gamefan fiasco and Sonic Jam.<br /><br />But playing it again for some YouTube videos I uploaded, now that the Genesis Sonic craze died down, its design flaws became really apparent. The stage designs seemed rather messy, I like the idea of time travelling but doing it is more of a pain than it needs to be, the Special stages, the final anti-climatic boss battle, and I felt the efforts to ramp up the difficulty were artificially challenging. I remember looking forward to the Metal Sonic race so badly as a kid, but when I played it, I was not pleased with the stage layout one bit. I'm sure on paper it sounded great, but in execution that one-hit death can be extremely cheap. And I rarely found myself visiting the Good Futures, or even go back to the present once my work was done in the past.<br /><br />I will say though that the Special Stages here are a SIGNIFICANT improvement over previous versions. Here, you miss a UFO, you can see how you missed it. Back then, you jumped at a UFO but it suddenly moved to the bottom corner of the screen, leaving you wondering if it moved, you missed it, or the game was being a bastard.<br /><br />I think there was also word that after Metallic Madness was supposed to be "Final Fever", the real final boss battle, but was axed along with the original second zone. Taxman did include a screenshot of the second stage as a Sound Test code (32,08 - this also serves as Tails' Stage Select).<br /><br />I give it an 8. I applaud Taxman's efforts as this is a hell of a lot better than Backbone's efforts IMO, but you can tell the Genesis games have a more fluid and solid design overall.Sestren NKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09752989234869643274noreply@blogger.com