Just as there’s a 2D and 3D version of the classic Green Hill Zone, there are also 2D and 3D versions of Sonic Adventure 2‘s City Escape level.įor those that don’t know, City Escape features a giant GUN truck that chases Sonic. I also love the idea of remaking levels from both perspectives. I don’t want to completely write off the 3D sections, because they still do show what they’ve always shown - glimpses of high-speed racing gameplay that can feel pretty damn exhilarating. Meanwhile, in the behind-closed-doors preview level of City Escape, the demonstrator - who had likely been playing the game all day - didn’t know what he was doing some of the time, disoriented by the speed and camera and not knowing where to go. Even in the demo of Green Hill Zone, I had Sonic clip through a platform and fall to his death. While all the strengths of the classic gameplay are intact, the inherent weaknesses of the modern gameplay are all too intact. Unfortunately, the conceit of this game is that it’s equally split between 2D “classic” gameplay and 3D “modern” gameplay. In many ways, the 2D levels are what purist fans wanted Sonic the Hedgehog 4 to be, and I have to say I found it a lot of fun. The physics are great, Sonic controls as he did in the good ol’ nineties, and there are no stupid gimmicks such as homing attacks. Straight away, I want to say that the 2D sections are perfect. ( Editors note: Any instance of “3D” being mentioned beyond this point is a reference to gameplay perspective, not crappy visual gimmicks) It is most definitely a game of two halves, and it’s going to be very strange to see if those halves can ever reconcile.
I’d rather talk about what really matters - the game itself. I won’t harp about the 3D beyond saying it was gross, but that’s a fault of 3D visuals in general not being all that great. Sonic Team really can make great Sonic levels when it wants to,.I previewed Sonic Generations in stunning 3D, and it confirmed two things for me: