View Full Version : Sonic CD: Differences & Review
ristar 1
28-10-2007, 06:00
You all know about Sonic CD, right? For those who don't, it is a game that takes place in between Sonic 1 and 2. It has time stones instead of emeralds and has Metal Sonic in it and other features. I'm going to talk/type about some differences in the game.
Differences between Sonic CD US & Japan:
One difference in the game is the music between the American and Japanese soundtracks. For example, for Palmtree panic good future in America, you hear a jungle theme, but for the Japanese sound track, you hear cheers and fast music, sounding nothing like the American soundtrack at all. Also, when you get a "game over" with the American sound track, you hear laughter, taunting you for losing and cursing you forever! But, when you get a "game over" with the Japanese soundtrack, there's no laughter at all. The only change is that they didn't make that I know of is quartz quadrant. (Except for the good future)
Differences in Sonic CD when compared to other Sonic games:
A difference that is in this game that isn't in any other games (except for game gear games like sonic chaos), is the new move called the "super peel out". By pressing up and the jump button, you run in place and go faster than the spin dash. Speaking of the spin dash, you can't charge it up. You just hold it down until it's done.
Then there's the special stages. Instead of collecting anything, you must hit all the UFOs that appear. Fans blow you in the air, allowing you to hit the UFOs easier. If you step in water, or anything that looks like it, you lose time. If you get below 30 seconds, a blue UFO appears, giving you time. If you smash all the UFOs, you get a time stone.
Time Stones:
They aren't special unless you like the game music, because if you get all of them and all good futures(later), you can listen to the music. There is no Super Sonic at all in the game.
Cheats:
They really could have worked on this. You have to tap the buttons so that you don't hold it down for more than 1 millisecond. Once you get there(hah!), you can access level select and debug. The difference is that if you time warp(later), you go back to the title. The difference in debug is you must access a picture of tails and a car. Both require you to play music.
Time warping:
This is the aspect of the game that makes you want to throw the nearest object at the screen. There are 4 states of time: past, present, good future and bad future. A good future happens when you break a special cage in the past. A bad future happens when you really don't care. To get to the past and future, you need to hit a specific lamp and run fast for a time. If you get stopped when it starts, you lose it, and you can't use the last lamp. Sometimes, there are points where all you have to do is go there and you won't be interrupted, but sometimes there aren't.
Characters:
Tails isn't here(duh), but there are 2 debut characters. They are Amy and Metal Sonic. You meet them at the same time, the second stage. Amy meets you, then Metal Sonic steals her. Later, you have to race Metal Sonic to rescue her and finish Metal Sonic.
Okay, that's it. Overall, though, it was a good game, I'd give it an 8 out of 10. What would you give it?
ristar 1-_-!
ResidentSD
29-10-2007, 15:44
Many people see it as the greatest Sonic game there is, but I think it's a little bit overrated. It's a good game, don't get me wrong, it's just not as great as many make out.
Certainly, the way to play this game is with the Japanese soundtrack (so Sonic Gems Collection with the US soundtrack is not your friend). The US soundtrack is, with a couple of exceptions, extremely terrible. Even worse, the music for the past levels is actually the Japanese music so the music doesn't relate at all between present and past (the tracks in the Japanese OST sound similar between the four time states).
It's definitely worth playing, however try and play either the Mega CD version or the PC version with the Japanese soundtrack (it's on the Japanese and European versions - don't forget Sonic Gems Collection is no good!). I'd probably give it a 8/10 too.
Oh, and my favourite Sonic game is Sonic 3 & Knuckles which definitely gets a 9.5/10 (although I should probably give it a 10 as no game has come close since!)
Dr Shaneman
29-10-2007, 21:22
I love this game, when I first got it I had no idea about getting good futures and such and it took me a while to get all the time stones, but all in all I really enjoy the unique time traveling style. Like most people, I prefer the European soundtrack but theres one or two from the American soundtrack I don't dislike. I was disapointed about the Gems Collection being the US version but I've still got the original on Mega-CD.
Kool Chao
30-10-2007, 02:14
I like the game, but it's not as close to perfection as many people say (at least, in my humble opinion).
Yes, there's time travelling, yes, there's a new move, but I'm with ResidentSD, S3&K is the best. And I also enjoyed Sonic 2 more. But overall Sonic CD is a pretty decent game and the Japanese/European soundtrack is superior.
I'd give it a 7.5/10.
Oh...
They are Amy and Metal Sonic. You meet them at the same time, the second stage. Amy meets you, then Metal Sonic steals her. Later, you have to race Metal Sonic to rescue her and finish Metal Sonic.
I believe you meet Amy at the end of the first stage (Palmtree Panic) and Metal Sonic at the beginning of the second. Just to make this bit right! ;)
ResidentSD
30-10-2007, 02:27
I believe you meet Amy at the end of the first stage (Palmtree Panic) and Metal Sonic at the beginning of the second. Just to make this bit right! ;)
Not that it matters too much, but you actually meet both characters for the first time at the start of Collision Chaos Zone Act 1.
Check out: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=VsA4X9xh__I ...and with Japanese music too! Haha!
The Captain
30-10-2007, 06:09
Many - but not all! - of the people who rubbish the US soundtrack tend to be the kind of people that won't watch any kind of Western animation and intersperse their speech with random Japanese words. ;)
I personally think the soundtracks are pretty equal, neither significantly better or worse than the other. In my opinion, Tidal Tempest Present is better in the Jap version than the US, while the US Stardust Speedway Bad Future far outmatches the somewhat silly Jap equivalent.
Even the title songs have this conflict; the Jap version has charm but again has a rather ridiculous mood, tone and execution when compared to the US version, which is a much more mature, serious and well-composed song.
Is it just me or did Sonic CD in general have an awkward feel when compared to Sonic 1, 2 & 3? The feel I'm getting at is mostly related to the sound. They made game play and levels suitable to be considered just below Sonic 2's quality, but the sound... Well it sounds like someone made music that would be better suited to a 3-D game but left the 2-D sound effects in place. Add the awkward looping nature of CD audio and it doesn't seem to feel right for most any game of its style.
Sometimes I wonder... Has the introduction of pre-rendered/sampled music (i.e. relastic instruments and vocals) to video games initially had the same effect that the "CD boom" caused with video files in game? I mean, some people would argue that many early Sega CD games focused so much on the video aspect, it left little for the game play. I think that being able to crank out a recorded sample from anything left a focus on sound quality rather than song quality. -_-
Maybe that's why some of the most memorable video game tunes, for myself anyway, are on 8 and 16 bit consoles--where they had less to work with and needed to set themselves apart from the rest. Sonic CD had good music--it just didn't seem right for the game to me--especially when you look at the US sound track.
And a bit of personal Mufasa trivia... The first MP3 I ever heard was of the boss music from Sonic CD Japan (just a few months after MP3 format went public). At the time I didn't realize it was the Japanese sound tracks. I saved up for Sonic CD on the PC a year or two later and was quite disappointed. It was then I found out that the tracks were different between the US and Japan/European version. I tried to like the US sound track, but only liked a handful of tracks. :(
Kool Chao
30-10-2007, 12:37
Not that it matters too much, but you actually meet both characters for the first time at the start of Collision Chaos Zone Act 1.
Once again, I stand corrected... Actually, I'm sitting in front of the computer...;)
I really thought Sonic met Amy by the end of Palmtree Panic, but I guess I was wrong. Not that it matters much anyway. Sorry, ristar 1!:blush:
Tails_1986
30-10-2007, 23:46
Sonic CD is a good game, but it lacks some of the charm of Sonic 3& Knuckles or even Sonic 2. Alright ... Sonic CD has the time travel feature, but sometimes this feature removes some of the easy going nature of the other games (in essence adds a mission in each level). This isn't necessarily a bad thing ... it just feels odd sometimes where compared to other 2D Sonic games. To me the main problem in the game is that I was too used to the awesomeness that is Sonic 3& Knucles.
TikalFannie
20-09-2008, 13:37
Hey, that`s a nice game! Very like it!
Sonic CD, in my opinion, is the best of classic sonic games. While I understand the gripes of the music switching, that's still not enough to keep me away from it. Overall, to me it seems like the most balanced of the classics and was very good for the Sega CD. In fact, that's the only game I have for the Sega CD anymore. Sonic 2 is wonderful, but I feel that Sonic CD is better.
Oh, Sonic CD, that was my very first videogame. I enjoyed it so much. Got all the emeralds, went trough the levels again and again to get the good future, and played it over a lot of times. Then I got Sonic 3 & Knuckles, and it was settled, Sonic life fan.
The game Sonic CD, it's a really good game, however, in my opinion, Sonic 3 & Knuckles is the best one.
But I really enjoyed the music and the videos, and the whole "feeling" of the game, seriously a great game.
Let's say 9/10, only because Sonic 3 & Knuckles is amazingly huge and fun!
Hairookami Kaimetsu
27-11-2008, 03:54
Hmm... Wow. I haven't played this in a long while.
Story: 10/10. Good Future/Bad Future thing is awesome!! Cinematics really help the game shine.
Gameplay: 10/10. I really like the animation sprites for Sonic.
Music: 10/10. Sonic Booom Sonic Booooom Sonic Boooooooom! Save the planet from disaster!
Boss battles: 9/10. I had to net search to look up how to beat the last boss. Only the skilled (or lucky, like me) can defeat the final stage.
Final Verdict: 9.5/10. Awesome Gameplay, Awesome Cinematics, Awesome Boss Battles, Tricky level designs, ALRIGHT WITH ME!!
sonicfanRICH
26-01-2009, 10:38
Sonic CD was awesome when I got it for PC. I didn't care what version it was. The opening cinematic sold it for me. When I was younger, I thought the song was originally saying "Sonic rules! Sonic rules! Sonic rules!" instead of Sonic Boom! :P
Once again, I stand corrected... Actually, I'm sitting in front of the computer...;)
I really thought Sonic met Amy by the end of Palmtree Panic, but I guess I was wrong. Not that it matters much anyway. Sorry, ristar 1!:blush:
Amy was definitely at the end of that stage. She was waiting near the goal and if you stopped, she would grab you and you'd have to jump to get her off you. It was funny.
Sonicdude1995
02-02-2009, 10:16
Sonic CD was awesome! When I got the game for Sonic Gems Collection, I completed the game within 2 hours but without the time stones. Then I played until I got all the time stones and got the good ending! I continued to play the game and it is one of the best 2D Sonic games ever!
DarkHedge
02-02-2009, 19:31
You all know about Sonic CD, right? For those who don't, it is a game that takes place in between Sonic 1 and 2. It has time stones instead of emeralds and has Metal Sonic in it and other features. I'm going to talk/type about some differences in the game.
Differences between Sonic CD US & Japan:
One difference in the game is the music between the American and Japanese soundtracks. For example, for Palmtree panic good future in America, you hear a jungle theme, but for the Japanese sound track, you hear cheers and fast music, sounding nothing like the American soundtrack at all. Also, when you get a "game over" with the American sound track, you hear laughter, taunting you for losing and cursing you forever! But, when you get a "game over" with the Japanese soundtrack, there's no laughter at all. The only change is that they didn't make that I know of is quartz quadrant. (Except for the good future)
Differences in Sonic CD when compared to other Sonic games:
A difference that is in this game that isn't in any other games (except for game gear games like sonic chaos), is the new move called the "super peel out". By pressing up and the jump button, you run in place and go faster than the spin dash. Speaking of the spin dash, you can't charge it up. You just hold it down until it's done.
Then there's the special stages. Instead of collecting anything, you must hit all the UFOs that appear. Fans blow you in the air, allowing you to hit the UFOs easier. If you step in water, or anything that looks like it, you lose time. If you get below 30 seconds, a blue UFO appears, giving you time. If you smash all the UFOs, you get a time stone.
Time Stones:
They aren't special unless you like the game music, because if you get all of them and all good futures(later), you can listen to the music. There is no Super Sonic at all in the game.
Cheats:
They really could have worked on this. You have to tap the buttons so that you don't hold it down for more than 1 millisecond. Once you get there(hah!), you can access level select and debug. The difference is that if you time warp(later), you go back to the title. The difference in debug is you must access a picture of tails and a car. Both require you to play music.
Time warping:
This is the aspect of the game that makes you want to throw the nearest object at the screen. There are 4 states of time: past, present, good future and bad future. A good future happens when you break a special cage in the past. A bad future happens when you really don't care. To get to the past and future, you need to hit a specific lamp and run fast for a time. If you get stopped when it starts, you lose it, and you can't use the last lamp. Sometimes, there are points where all you have to do is go there and you won't be interrupted, but sometimes there aren't.
Characters:
Tails isn't here(duh), but there are 2 debut characters. They are Amy and Metal Sonic. You meet them at the same time, the second stage. Amy meets you, then Metal Sonic steals her. Later, you have to race Metal Sonic to rescue her and finish Metal Sonic.
Okay, that's it. Overall, though, it was a good game, I'd give it an 8 out of 10. What would you give it?
ristar 1-_-!
I'm seeing the talent as a game reviewer here, even more so that everything he said there is more than just his opinion - Sonic CD is indeed considered as the best 2D Sonic game ever and possibly the best Sonic game ever. For good reasons that I agree with and won't repeat because you guys before me already said everything. ;)
Dr Shaneman
02-02-2009, 21:04
It needs to be longer, much longer. Like Duracell.
LeeMan00
03-02-2009, 04:27
This game is one of the reasons I want a Sega CD, as well as some others, but Sonic CD sure is up there.
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