A great classic Sonic game which is hardly ever heard of due to the popularity of the Mega Drive / Genesis titles
The gameplay in this game is a lot less focussed on speed and more focussed on platforming. This really helps the game stand out as to other Sonic games and just says "Sonic doesn't need to be super fast to be super fun" Indeed there are moments where you can roll down a hill and pick up speed, but there are no loops. Anyway it's your standard Sonic game, collect rings and lives, get the Chaos Emeralds if you can. There are 3 parts to a level, of which all are uniquely themed. (Green Hill Zone of course, a jungle, airship and more) Parts one and two are a sprint to the goal and part three is the boss battle. You have no rings for these fights... one hit and you're dead! You can't just randomly jump on Dr Robotnik and hope for the best, these bosses are all about deciding when to jump on him. Your timing doesn't have to be dead on, but it needs to be pretty good.
Back to the levels. You can find a Chaos Emerald in each world, though they don't affect the gameplay. If you finish a level with 50 rings or more you get to go to a special stage where you can earn a continue. Basically you're in a room filled with springs and other bouncy things. There are also plenty of rings to increase your life count. It's pretty fun actually.
Graphics are pretty good for 8-bit. And the music is very good. Fun fact: The credits theme was remixed in the ps3/360 version of Sonic Unleashed to create the Mazuri Savannah Citadel (I forget the exact name) day theme. And the Bridge zone theme slightly reminds some people of Tails' theme from Sonic Adventure 1/DX. Controls are tight, alot better than the other 8-bit Sonic games.
The game is featured on Sonic Mega Collection Plus and is unlockable on Sonic Adventure DX (but not in the original DreamCast version) The Master System version is also availiable for Wii Downloads. Differences from the Game Gear and Master System versions include minor things which don't really define a definitive version, but the MS version did appear to have over sensitive hit detection - though this was only ever an issue for me in Labyrnth act 2. The MS version does have better graphics and there is more on screen which makes it slightly easier.
This game is really un-noticed because of the MD/G version, I'll admit that version is supirior (though I may be being biassed as I grew up with that version and didn't know about this version until I breifly borrowed Sonic Adventure DX of a friend two years ago) this is still a good ride and no Sonic fan should die without playing it first. Sweet 'n simple. But tonnes of fun.
Milesprower2K9 Original Reviews