Sonic: shallow?

[16bitter]

I hear this more and more about the old Hedgehog games -- particularly the first -- but I don't agree with it. Sonic was about a feeling of speed, yes, so of course it would and should be optional to zip straight through some levels as quickly as possible, yet that was up to the player as much as anything; certainly you could play each stage more slowly and turn it into your typical platform treasure hunt instead.

It was twitch gameplay at its finest -- only better players would be able to fly through levels quickly, get a decent amount of items, and not get hit doing it. It was gameplay that required skill, which begs the question of how lacking it truly was or is.

EGM once again reiterated such a sentiment in their 200 best list this month.

The cry of those who never cracked it?

[j_factor]

The Sonic games are some of the deepest platformers ever created.

[Obviously]

Some people call it shallow but it's simple, not shallow. There's a difference. Sonic proves that you don't need a lot of bells and whistles when you've got tight gameplay and fun.

[Elusive]

I wouldn't agree they're the deepest platformers created. The first game was created as a motive to show off and buy the Genesis in North America, nothing more, nothing less. (Ironically, this is why Sonic 1's mysteries are yet to be fully revealed - this was a game tied a company's survival, for Pete's sake. Who knows what's still hidden in Sega HQ's internal archives) I love them all equally - yes, even the new and mid-gen releases hold a special place in my heart - but the games are that hyped I don't blame EGM, to be honest.

[j_factor]

The motive behind making a game doesn't matter so much. The motive behind making Super Mario World was to have a Mario game for SNES at that time; the motive behind making Virtua Fighter was to show off their arcade hardware and to have the first 3d fighting game.

Sonic is deep because of all the nooks and crannies of the levels. Learning exactly how far to jump to land in just the right spot to be able to jump over that platform without stopping -- stuff like that provides a depth that 2d platformers in general lack. The originals really should've had a time attack mode...

[Elusive]

The motive behind making a game doesn't matter so much. The motive behind making Super Mario World was to have a Mario game for SNES at that time; the motive behind making Virtua Fighter was to show off their arcade hardware and to have the first 3d fighting game.

Sonic is deep because of all the nooks and crannies of the levels. Learning exactly how far to jump to land in just the right spot to be able to jump over that platform without stopping -- stuff like that provides a depth that 2d platformers in general lack. The originals really should've had a time attack mode...

Someone's never played Sonic Jam =D

[Genesis Knight]

Sonic 3 and S&K aren't shallow at all IMO, but I suppose an argument could be made for 1 and 2.

[j_factor]

The motive behind making a game doesn't matter so much. The motive behind making Super Mario World was to have a Mario game for SNES at that time; the motive behind making Virtua Fighter was to show off their arcade hardware and to have the first 3d fighting game.

Sonic is deep because of all the nooks and crannies of the levels. Learning exactly how far to jump to land in just the right spot to be able to jump over that platform without stopping -- stuff like that provides a depth that 2d platformers in general lack. The originals really should've had a time attack mode...

Someone's never played Sonic Jam =D

Someone owns Sonic Jam, and thinks the games should've had time attack to begin with.

[16bitter]

Sonic 3 and S&K aren't shallow at all IMO, but I suppose an argument could be made for 1 and 2.

Even during its debut such charges were easily found, as evidenced by old posts on usenet.