I've fucking HAD IT with Sonic 2
>Great first 3 zones
>Really feeling it
>Casino zone ruins everything
Absolutely shit zone in every game

*Oil Ocean Zone ruins everything

>>11858065 (OP)
I best casino zone.when I was 10

Sonic 2 has a great start with Emerald Hill and Chemical Plant, but people forget the mid-game is crap. Things pick up again at Wing Fortress but you'd better cover your ass before the Death Egg rapes you.
I feel like it has lower lows than Sonic 1 but the game is faster so there're less complaints.
Sonic CD and Sonic 3&K mog both.

>>11858065 (OP)
Casino Night Zone is one of my favorite zones.

>>11858065 (OP)
Ive always thought 2 was the worst of the original games, idk why its usually regarded as the best. Every single level after Chemical Plant sucks. Sonic 1 is unironically way better.

2 is great all the way through until the final bosses where you are forced to fight both with zero rings with no possibility of any mistake

>>11858065 (OP)
For me, Hill Top is when Sonic 2 stops being fun. Going from the neon pinball antics of Casino Night to a palette-swap of Emerald Hill except with lava sucks all the energy out to keep going.

Oil Ocean is overhated
>Casino Night Zone
>Metropolis Zone
>Sky Chase Zone
>Wing Fortress Zone
>Death Egg Zone
These are the real stinkers in the game, what a dogshit late game.

>>11858325
>Sky Chase Zone
>Wing Fortress Zone
>Death Egg Zone
This is an awesome finale. I think Metropolis is more overhated than Oil Ocean.

>>11858334
pleb

>>11858346
>oh no I have zero rings this is terrible
coward

>>11858065 (OP)
Sonic Pocket Adventure is sometimes decried as a lesser Sonic 2, but to be perfectly quite honest, it's a better game in almost every way. I'm shocked there isn't a hack of Sonic 2 that converts it into a 16-bit version of Pocket Adventure.
I'm forever assblasted that my ex borrowed my NeoGeo Pocket Color and games before breaking up with me and then "lost" them, fricking liar.

>>11858065 (OP)

The whole thing falls apart by Aquatic Ruin. Bland, tedious level design marred by too many non-badnik traps and sluggish, overly-expansive level design.

Also, the special stages are shit. Sonic 1 is a million times the game 2 is.

>>11858065 (OP)
I thought it was good, I never really played it seriously though. I never liked the chemical zone but I remember getting to the casino zone. I liked it more than Sonic 1 I think but both were good.

Sonic 1 and 2 are both pretty close for me in terms of quality, that being 8/10 or 9/10.
Sonic 3 alone is a 7, but S3&K brings it down to like a 4 or 5 imo. That game is so bloated and boring and long, goddamn.

Alright, let’s dive into the super kino zones of Sonic 2 for Sega Genesis! This game is packed with ludicrously cool zones that make you feel like a total ludokino hero.

First up, **Emerald Hill Zone** — the classic, lush green start that’s super ludo. It’s got that perfect mix of speed and style, making you feel like you’re gliding through a green dream. Then you hit **Chemical Plant Zone** — a true kino experience with its slick, industrial vibe. The water sections are ludonics, adding a fresh twist, and the whole zone is just pure adrenaline.

Next, we get to **Aquatic Ruins** (but I call it Roaming Romans, because it’s totally ludokino). This zone is an oceanic masterpiece, with its mysterious underwater ruins and flowing currents. The visual design is totally kino, and the underwater sections are just ludonic enough to keep you hooked.

Moving on, **Casino Night Zone** is a ludokino playground — flashing lights, pinball bumpers, and a vibe that screams retro-ludonics. It’s like Sonic’s own arcade, making every moment feel like a wild game night.

Then comes **Hill Top Zone**, which is super kino with its mountain vistas and tricky platforming. It’s got that classic Sonic feel, but with a bit of a ludic edge thanks to those gnarly slopes.

**Metropolis Zone** is next — a totally ludonic, high-tech metropolis with crazy machinery and boss fights. It’s a kino level that really tests your skills and makes you feel like a speedster hero.

Finally, **Sky Chase Zone** — the original flying zone that’s pure ludokino. Flying through the clouds at high speed, dodging planes, it’s a breathtaking, kino thrill ride. And the boss fight in the end? Absolutely ludicrously kino!

All these zones are just a ludokino testament to how Sega and Sonic nailed it with that perfect mix of speed, style, and ludonics. Each one is a kino adventure that keeps you hooked till the very end!

>>11858247
this
the whole "wait in the secret cave for 3 minutes for the lava to fill up and then empty out" room really kills the run

>>11858587
Aquatic Ruin is better than Labyrinth Zone

>sonic 3k, widely considered the overrated sonic game
>everyone only names marble garden and maybe sandopolis as the low points

>sonic 2, the supposed peak of the franchise
>turns out half of the game is a low point

>>11859127
>Sonic 1, considered the lowest point in the original trilogy
>Marble Zone is actually a pleb filtering kino and Labyrinth is overhated

>>11859127
I get what you're saying, but I dislike S3 for a different reason. It feels very scripted, almost like a modern game.
>lots of cutscenes
>lots of parts with barely any gameplay
>very short gameplay segments where you just need to react quick
>followed by another scripted segment
>not much you can do to skip them, basically forced to go through all of them
S2, for how flawed it is, actually lets you breeze fast through levels without holding your hand and slowing you down at every corner. It doesn't have that molasses feel of 3, and though S&K is kind of better in this regard, I still think S2 is way better when it comes to "pick up & play".
S3&K tried to be big, grand and epic to one up Nintendo, but it's just not the same as arcade-style Sonic 1 and 2.

>>11858065 (OP)
It's time to give the superior Sonic 2 a try.

>>11859419
I agree 100%

>>11859419
>>lots of cutscenes
??? nigga there's like 3, and the longest one is like 30 seconds

>>11858096
nice troll. you had me until sonic cd. what a shit game.

>>11858065 (OP)
>Casino zone ruins everything
Nigga it takes like 5 mins to beat both acts, it's not that big of a deal

People hate Casino Night now? Wut?? It was always the best.

>>11858095
still a pacebreaker

i think part of the fun of sonic levels are finding a part that’s fun for you. Sometimes you find a faster path, but sometimes you find an easier path. I mostly just take the paths I enjoy and only my take the hard paths if I want the challenge or time. See what’s more fun for you

>>11858065 (OP)
Casino Zone is barely even a real level. You wouldn't last in Metropolis Zone.

>>11859856
I think anon means the little transitions at the end of every zone

>>11860543
unbelievably autistic thing to cry about if so

>>11859419
>It doesn't have that molasses feel of 3
And 1 with its tedious platforming, and not to mention no spindashing, isn't molasses?

>>11861435
>>11859856
>Turn game on
>Cutscene with losing emeralds
>Play for like 30 seconds
>Cutscene with robots burning down the island
>Proceed with the most gated, mediocre 1st zone in the trilogy
>Another cutscene before Robotnik (where you run under a ship dropping bombs, barely any gameplay)
See, many people often prefer retro games because they're "pick up & play". I can simply turn on 2 and start having fun. I can even do this in S&K. I can't do this with 3.

>>11858096
sonic cd has shit eye raping level design. its like they had the nearest preschool design the levels. what a shit gimmick. insteqd of redoing a zone 3 times they couldve focused to made each zone better and visually cohesive.

>>11858065 (OP)
Sonic 1 is the only one worth playing

>>11858065 (OP)
I never cared for Sonic 2 like most Sonic fans. I prefer CD to it. I think it goes on for way too long, and doesnt feel like that big of a sequel in terms of gameplay improvement like 3.

>>11858096
Liking Sonic CD invalidates your whole opinion eve if 3&K is right.
People think CD is good just because it was "rare" and harder to emulate and you can cure that by actually playing it and realizing it's shit.

>>11858192
That's what some experts in the field call "artificial difficulty"
Not really helped by the wonky hitboxes.

>>11861560
anon stop pretending your time is so valuable that having to watch a 10 second cutscene completely ruins the experience. this is seriously one of the more pathetic complaints about a game i've seen on this board.

>>11861978
Dude I told you again, it's not about having time. It's about the pace. Sometimes I want to pick up a game and jump straight into action. S3 kills the pace immediately, in a game all about speed.

>>11862005
you need to get on ADHD medication then, i don't know what else to tell you. getting this upset over "muh pacing" because you can't play the game for 10 seconds is highly abnormal behavior.

>>11861963
>People think CD is good just because it was "rare" and harder to emulate and you can cure that by actually playing it and realizing it's shit.
NTA but I see this a lot and can't stand how people just parrot it as if it's true. Sonic CD was not as accessible as the other titles, but it got released on PC, and then the Gems Collection in the 2000's, maybe it being less accessible contributed to so many in the 2000's calling it the better of all Sonic titles, but it's not the reason it was considered good, it was always good.

>>11862228
>levels are too big for their own good for no reason
>visuals are incredibly busy and look like a fever nightmare
>two OSTs both are hit or miss
>true ending for all Emeralds is the second worst next to Sonic 1

Why are we still pretending this is a decent game?

>>11861858
CD runs off of the Sonic 1 design philosphy of alternating between fast-paced and more methodical levels.
The difference is that CD's can still be cleared quickly if you have the know-how, which you'll want if you want to see the bonus content because it's locked behind Time Attack.

>>11863479
i wouldn't mind the huge levels if they got rid of the 10 minute time limit so you could thoroughly explore, but they fucking didn't. what's the point of giant fucking setpieces if you can't do that?

>>11863560
IMO exploring has no place in Sonic, at least 2D Sonic.
To thoroughl explore levels in a 2D Sonic game would mean to go slow and take your time, the complete opposite of what Sonic stands for.

That's the problem with Sonic in general, he was designed to be cool and fast in contrast to the normal and slow Mario, but sadly there isn't much you can do with the "I'm fast!" idea aside from... moving fast and that's it.

>>11858247
I'll grant you that Hill Top is a huge mood swing. Palette-swap aside, it's the Sonic 2 equivalent of Marble Zone in terms of level design. But fuck me sideways, that theme song is sooo good. Might actually be my favorite in the whole game.

git fucking gud

>>11861506
With S1 you get zones that are geared around going fast, and ones that are more about platforming and/or exploration (Marble/Labyrinth). S3 instead has levels where you go fast, get interrupted by slow platforming, then get to go fast for a brief moment before getting stuck with having to do slow platforming again. It sucks

1 > CD > 2 > 3(&K)

>>11864949
>Look mom! I'm being a contrarian on 4chan!
Here's your (you), happy?

>>11864952
>waaah anyone who thinks differently to be is just a contrarian
Heads up, there are people in the world who actually have their own thoughts and opinions instead of parroting whatever they see youtubers say. Grow up

>>11858065 (OP)
I like metropolis zone

>>11858065 (OP)
>>11858096
>>11858247
None of these things are wrong, but any person who says Sonic 2 is their favorite Sonic game learned how to play the 4 sections people complain about with a blind fold on when we were 6 years old.

I know 3 ways to skip the part of Chemical Plant people don't like.
I leave Casino Night with tens of 1-ups.
I haven't even accidentally entered the bottom path on Aquatic Ruin zone in like 20 years.
I know exactly when you can safely jump to not get hit in the Death Egg fight.
I know how to use the cannons to break the physics engine to go extra fast and skip parts of Oil Ocean.
If you figured out how to do all of those things in the 90s, and just do them automatically now, it's by far the best sonic game and nothing else is even close.
You can't skip as much of the bullshit in Sonic 1 and Sonic 3/Knux, actually you can't really skip ANY of the bullshit in 3/Knux.