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Sonic the Hedgehog 2 review
Exceptional
by Dima064

Completed as of writing this review: 100%.

The game each MegaDrive owner loved. Sonic The Hedgehog 2 is one of the best examples of how to make a sequel. It has new zones with a good sense of speed and progression that doesn't make you bored. If not the development crunch, probably that would be the best Sonic game in the series. Well, objectively it is one of those, but for my taste, the third one is better. Anyway, definitely give this a go, it won't disappoint!

Master System Version: To be honest, not a good sequel for an 8-bit version. This one suffers a lot from badly designed difficulty spikes and also a lot of uninspired zones. Not to mention some kind of depressing story-telling. It's okay, not bad, but not good.
«Beaten more than once»
«OST on repeat»

Other reviews5

[Sega 60th Anniversary Binge #1] 8/10 - Holy shit what a step up in every possible aspect. Every song is a banger here.
«Blew my mind»
«Sit back and relax»
This installment makes some sweeping improvements over the first game, largely in gameplay flow. For once, "speed" actually seems to be supported by the game. The design encourages the player to build up momentum and progress through the stages quickly, and allows the player to react to stage hazards at top speed. Some of the hazards do feel more cheap than clever, where the player can't reasonably react to them in a fair way. Other than that, it's pretty solid.
Cleans up many of the problems from Sonic 1, such as difficulty, enemy design, and variety. Only really held back by the knowledge of how much more refined the formula would become in Sonic 3.
«Time-tested»
«Beaten more than once»
Same as the first Sonic game, Sonic The Hedgehog 2 has aged so well. In regards of control, music and challenge I think it surpasses its predecessor, I was having the time of my life till I get to the penultimate level and last level, the music doesn't quite match the height of the previous levels and my biggest issue, one that for me keeps this game of being a masterpiece is the level design, it just feels clunky, messy and pretty unfair, the unfairness comes when you go full speed or take a trampoline or something alike and then an enemy appears out of nowhere and hits you or kill you, I know that Sonic is more about of quick reflexes than speed but those hazards were really unfair. This issue goes on and on to the last levels and it's pretty noticeable, one of the things that save those levels are the platform segments which are pretty good, if only they were more abundant than those cheap enemies.

Setting those complaints aside, the boss fights are great and especially the last fight which came with a surprise, it's very hard until you realize the pattern but even then it keeps the challenge.

There are some things that I'll never forget about some games, and Sonic 2, even when I certainly didn't like some aspects, is such a joyous ride of speed and outstanding music, maybe its not a masterpiece but it's truly a classic.
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«Just one more turn»
«Can’t stop playing»