Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis

"A terrible remake of a classic."

Sonic the Hedgehog was an innovative and classic game when it was released on the Genesis in 1991. The speed of Sonic was just unheard of in 2-D platformers and a thrill to experience. The classic, which gave Mario his first rival outside of Nintendo, is back once again on the Game Boy Advance. Is this remake just as good as the Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong, and Metriod remakes? The answer is no. Although the graphics display wise survived the transition, the gameplay sadly did not. The game's animation and frame-rate suffer from excessive slow downs and that affects control. The game does have a save feature and a special mode that has Sonic's speed burst, but that does not balance out the game's flawed play.

Graphics:
The graphics have a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde effect. The display. contrast, and colors survived the transition and the elements are easily visible. The animation and frame rate slow down in various areas. The Marble Zone and Labrynth Zone are the worst offenders. This is unacceptable, especially that the other Sonic side-scrollers play just fine. The display of the graphics are great, but the massive slow-down of the frame rate and animation are a big let-down.

Control:
The configuration of the controls are just fine. The response and accuracy are also fine when the game is running at full speed. The frequent slow-downs negatively affect both accuracy and response, leading to repeated deaths.

Game Design:
The GBA version of this game is exactly like the Genesis and the Sonic compilation. Sonic has seven different levels to get through, but I would've liked to see different bosses instead of different versions of Dr. Eggman. The weird bonus stages return as well.

This remake would rank up there with the Super Mario Advance series or "A Link to the Past" had it not been for the repetitive lags and glitches. This remake slows down frequently, especially in Labrynth Zone, where timing is necessary. The slow down disrupts timing, animation, jumping, and ruins the motif of the game, which is fast-running and high speed. This is a major disappointment to the fans of the original.

Audio:
The soundtrack is terrible, even for the GBA's speakers. The Marble Zone music is bad and the Star Light music, one of my favorite tunes ever in video games, is a big-time let down. The sound effects are great, however.

Overall:
Sonic the Hedgehog is a classic game and I was excited for this remake to come out on the GBA. The frequent slow-downs and lags make this remake a sad disappointment. IF you love this game, buy the Sonic Mega Collection.

Score: 2 out of 10

Reviewer's Score: 2/10, Originally Posted: 03/29/07