#Metal was totally made during the time Eggman was using animals in badniks

[balaurbondoc316]

So I've Been Rotating Metal Sonic In My Head For Weeks

And I came up with something that's probably not the dumbest theory you've ever heard

So is this anything???????

[sqgtdevreviews]

Sonic CD Publisher: Sega Developer: Sega System: Sega Genesis (Sega CD) Year: 1993

For a brief period during the 16-bit generation, CD based systems were all the rage. CD storage had loading times, but the tradeoff was that they could fit more stuff in the game, and they had MP3 quality Redbook audio and FMV video sequences. Nintendo tried and failed to produce a SNES-CD addon with Sony, which later became the Sony PlayStation, but that’s another story. NEC made the Turbo Duo system which eventually replaced the Turbografx-16 entirely. The Sega Genesis had the Sega CD, the only one to have any sort of mainstream success, and even then it was short lived. That’s not to say it didn’t have any noteworthy software. The infamous Night Trap helped lead to the creation of the ESRB, and Hideo Kojima’s Snatcher became a cult classic.

Sonic CD is indisputably the Sega CD’s killer app, as well as one of the more interesting games in the series. Sonic CD started life as a failed CD port of Sonic 2. Sonic 2 was to feature time travel, but it was scrapped very early on. However, Sonic CD wound up becoming its own game designed completely around the time travel mechanic.

This might explain why it feels like a half-step between Sonic 1 and 2. Almost none of Sonic 2’s new additions are found here, other than some hidden Tails cameos and a much wonkier Spin Dash that you now have to charge by ducking and holding the jump button for several seconds until the camera pans forward. On a surface level, it looks and plays like a trippier Sonic 1. Sonic does have new moves, like the previously mentioned janky Spin Dash, and the awesome looking Super Peel Out. This move is performed by holding up and then holding the jump button, and releasing it after a few frames. Sonic blasts off at incredible speeds with his legs moving in a figure eight motion. The trade off is that he’s vulnerable to attack. The game’s camera also pans ahead of Sonic when he runs fast enough for long enough, giving you more room to see. This is the only mainline Genesis game that does this.

CD sets itself apart in a number of ways, the main one being the Time Travel. In each level there are various signs that say “Past” and “Future” on them. If you run by one of these signs and can maintain your speed for long enough, you’ll warp to that time period after a three second warp sequence (this actually isn’t annoying) and appear in the same spot as you were when you warped. Each time period has slightly different level design and a different look to it. The Past levels are more upbeat and natural looking, and mechanical levels are usually under construction or free of machinery. On the other hand, the Future has been ruined by Eggman and is a mechanized, toxic dump. This is a “Bad Future.” Luckily, you can change it to a “Good Future,” by finding a Badnik Machine in the Past and destroying it. The Good Futures have no enemies and look like utopian mixtures of nature and technology. By getting a Good Future in every level, you can get the Good Ending. Zone 3 in a world (different terminology in this game) is always a short level with a boss and always takes place in the future. If you got a Good Future in Zones 1 and 2, Zone 3 will be a Good Future too. The boss won’t be any more or less difficult (though most of them are much easier and more gimmicky in this game anyways), but it does feel pretty nice.

The Time Travel admittedly feels like a little more could have been done with it. This does sound weird, since every time period has its own music and visuals, so clearly a lot of effort was put into the whole idea. While the Past serves a valuable purpose, there is no reason to go to the Future at all other than for bragging rights. Honestly though, whatever. It adds a lot to the game’s atmosphere and it wouldn’t be Sonic CD without it.

Special Stages are back and are accessed the same way as in Sonic 1. This time around, the Special Stages are Mode 7 style racetracks that fit perfectly in a big square. Sonic runs forward automatically and you can turn him to the left/right and jump. The goal is to destroy various UFO’s floating around, which is a lot harder than it sounds thanks to their weird hitboxes and unpredictable movements. Not only that, but the stages are timed, and stepping into water speeds up the clock. At least Blue UFO’s appear in the center when you only have 30 seconds left, and smashing them gives you more time. Upon completion, you get one of the seven Time Stones, which are basically the same thing as the Chaos Emeralds. Super Sonic isn’t in this game, but getting all of them actually turns all Bad Futures into Good Futures, a much faster way to get the Good Ending. Thank God for the other option though, because these Special Stages can get pretty frustrating if you don’t know them like the back of your hand.

The level design is…divisive. Sonic CD seems to have lost it’s sacred status ever since the 2011 Taxman Remaster made it widely available for the first time, and nowadays the level design has become extremely love/hate. I don’t hate it, but I definitely don’t love it. A few worlds still feel pretty fun to play, but some of them feel, quite literally, thrown together. Not like they were quickly made, but more that they have completely random and messy layouts. They take advantage of Sonic’s physics even more than the other games do, but they’re a lot less fun. Regardless of your opinion of the other levels, you’ll hate Wacky Workbench.

Sonic CD is still beloved today for the insanely cool atmosphere it has. It can best be described as Sonic 1 on acid. Many of the levels are similar to those in Sonic 1, but made a whole lot trippier. The only exception is Marble Zone, which almost got a CD equivalent, but it was removed and what was left of it was incorporated into Tidal Tempest (a much better Labyrinth Zone). Quartz Quadrant and Wacky Workbench are totally new. The fan favorite Zone is Stardust Speedway, which has a race between Sonic and his new robot doppelgänger: Metal Sonic. Metal Sonic is the secondary villain and one of the series’ best characters. He has a sleek, menacing appearance and does not fuck around one bit. Amy Rose was also introduced in this game, and unlike her later appearances, she is simply a lovestruck fan and not an outright stalker. She appears a few times to hug Sonic and annoy him, which is one of those little details that gives the game so much character. Another neat detail is the anime opening and endings. These look AWESOME. Sonic has never looked cooler, and this is the same series where he kills multiple Gods in Super Sonic showdowns with awesome rock music.

The standout feature is the soundtrack. Actually, soundtracks. Sonic CD takes full advantage of the Sega CD’s CD audio, but the real cool thing is that there are two soundtracks depending on what region you live in. The Japan/Europe soundtrack blends sampling and dance music into an extremely unique and upbeat soundtrack. The US soundtrack is much darker and has a lot of electric guitars and some female vocals. Both soundtracks fit the game very well, and while the Japanese soundtrack is the better of the two by a landslide, the US soundtrack has several standouts such as the fan favorite main theme Sonic Boom.

Sonic CD is, as a game, a mixed bag, but it’s almost like an art piece. If you were to remove even the tiniest detail from the game then it would no longer be Sonic CD. For that reason alone it’s worth experiencing.