Sonic the Hedgehog (1991) reviews

Completed as of writing this review: 100%.

The first, but not the best. On the good side, we need to thank this game for creating the franchise, but on the other, it's really not what it was advertised to be. So-called Blast Processing was a good marketing technique that made this game stand out. However was it really all about the speed? Sonic may be the fastest thing alive, but not in this game, since only a fraction of the zones is speed-based at best. The special stages were also really challenging and not really rewarding. However, giving this game a shot is also a good suggestion because it's not bad, it's just... not all that fast.

Game Gear Version: For GameGear, it's a pretty damn impressive game. To be honest, if not the screen crunch (god-bless the Master System version) that game would be, dare I say, on par with the 16-bit original. Smooth 8-bit graphics, interesting stages with each uniqueness on their own, and catchy music! Definitely give this a try on Master System. It's worth your time!

6/10 - Sonic had a rough start

I'll start this off by saying that I'm not a huge fan of platformers. That being said, I think this game is incredibly overhyped, even for the time. The design philosophy is a little confusing, as it seems inherently contradictory. The whole idea of Sonic is "gotta go fast", yet it feels like the game takes every opportunity to slow you down as the player. Even as soon as the second level, tight platforming is introduced that requires the player to continually stop and make difficult jumps one at a time. This element is made more difficult as well, as the physics are designed around constant motion, so sharp stops and changes are awkward. Even the elements where it seems more open, there are routinely roadblocks in your way. Thus, there is no gameplay flow at any point in the experience. The player is punished for going slow with boring and unengaging gameplay, and punished for going fast with constant roadblocks sending sonic backwards. I just don't know what this game wants to do. 

This game has aged amazingly well, music, character design, boss fights, animation, almost everything is incredibly good, my only concern is the controls, they're good but not perfect, and sometimes there are some slopes or jumps that feel kinda stiff. Aside from that, the challenge and the passing is great. I said that if you haven't played this, give it a shot.