The original Sonic the Hedgehog on Sega Genesis is pretty much the only Sonic game I even like. I prefer it to the others because - as has already been mentioned in this thread - it's not all about breakneck speed, and you're encouraged to take your time to properly react to obstacles. It's definitely not perfect, but it's closer to "perfect" than pretty much any other installment in the series.
I've never understood the love for Sonic 2. Take Chemical Plant Zone as an example. That should be such a fast level throughout, but you're continually slowed down by those blue blobs going through tubes, among other things. I hate the idea of having to memorize a level in order to know when to slow down, especially when you consider how eager nearly every Sonic game aside from the first one is to launch you into a high-speed segment you're barely actually controlling. Sonic CD is probably the worst in this regard, as the time travel aspect of the game is confusing enough as it is, yet the developers seem to want to continually force you to time travel against your will by bouncing you around like mad.
To address the gripes about Sonic 1...
Difficulty Level - Honestly, I think this is a flaw with Sonic in general. The ring system is dumb, and it ultimately results in poor boss battle design. Boss battles tend to fall into one of two camps:
- You bring at least one ring into the boss battle, and the stakes are basically zero because you can continually re-collect that same ring every single time you get hit.
- You have no way to bring even a single ring into a boss battle, so you're screwed if you get hit one time.
Really, who thought that was a good idea? As far as the levels not really getting that much more difficult as you get further into the game goes, yeah, I acknowledge this issue, though it's not a huge deal for me. Sonic the Hedgehog is the sort of game I play to breeze right through it without much stress. It's a great game for relaxation in a sense. I don't even consider Labyrinth Zone to be all that difficult, as it's all about pacing yourself to ensure that you're collecting air bubbles when you have the opportunity. Sure, the boss battle in Labyrinth Zone is pretty unforgiving, especially if you're trying again after failing at it, but it's still a matter of taking your time and understanding that you have more time than you think while you're underwater to continue to climb the boss area without dying. If you have trouble playing through the original Sonic the Hedgehog on Sega Genesis, then it's because you need to get the idea of "gotta go fast" out of your head.
Lack of Speed - I don't really mind this. For me, Sonic games should be more about the flow, and yeah, even the first game doesn't get this entirely right. Still, I get more satisfaction out of finishing the original Sonic the Hedgehog than I would many other games. For me, playing later Sonic games is akin to taking the same test in school over and over again, failing time and time again, but eventually persevering and passing because you finally managed to memorize the answers. Frankly, I'd rather take my time and finish a game because it's fairly designed. Beginning with Sonic 2, I feel as though Sonic games just devolved into a bunch of loops that lead to spike and spring traps, and they feel as though their levels were designed by five-year-olds who thought it was funny to see Sonic bounced back into a bed of spikes.
Special Stages - I love the special stages in the original Sonic the Hedgehog, but I feel as though the popularity of the Christian Whitehead version of the original game kind of works against the special stages' appeal. The special stages suck ass in the Christian Whitehead version of the game for two reasons:
- Overly Sensitive Controls - The special stages play just fine in the original version, but the increased acceleration granted to Sonic in the Christian Whitehead version extends to the special stages, making them damn-near unplayable even for me. Could I get better by playing this version more? Sure, but that doesn't change the fact that the increased acceleration makes it far easier to overshoot anything you're trying to aim for in these levels.
- Smooth Rotation - This wouldn't be a huge problem on its own, but it's clear that zero attention was paid to the flow of each special stage when it was implemented. If you play the original version of Sonic the Hedgehog (not the Christian Whitehead version) and enter the first special stage, then you'll notice that you'll pretty much automatically reach the end of it as long as you don't press anything on the controller. I think this was intentional and was done this way to make the stage more intuitive, as you'll find yourself up against blocks that disappear after you touch them several times with the first Chaos Emerald in plain sight, and you'll have seen all sorts of obstacles along the way. Play the Christian Whitehead version this way, and you'll just find yourself being bounced around at the beginning of the stage.
