Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Longplay (Game Gear) [60 FPS]

Developed and published by Sega in 1992

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Following the success of the original Sonic the Hedgehog game, Sega soon turned it's attention to developing a sequel. Since there was still a significant number of gamers invested in the 8-bit Master System and Game Gear systems, Sega developed and released a dedicated 8-bit version of Sonic 2 that was different to the 16-bit Mega Drive release.

The introduction of Tails the Fox as a second controllable character was a big deal at the time, with the Mega Drive version of the game offering simultaneous cooperative play and a multitude of split-screen, head-to-head competition modes. Sadly, but not surprisingly, these features were omitted from the 8-bit Sonic 2 release, probably due to limited cartridge ROM space and lower system specifications.

What struck me as odd about the game is the way that, despite having been captured by Dr. Robotnik, Tails features alongside Sonic in all of the act title screens, as if he's sharing the adventure with Sonic. Perhaps the original intention was to have Tails as a playable character much the same same as the Mega Drive version, but the reality is he's relegated to a face on the box here.

Despite the lack of Tails or coop play, Sonic 2 for the Game Gear is still a genuinely fun game to play and the developers made many improvements to this version over the original 8-bit game.

As with other Sonic games, the real objective is to collect all of the Chaos Emeralds hidden within the game's maze-like levels. This time around, all of the emeralds (save the last one) can be found somewhere in the second act of each zone. Some of these can be devilishly difficult to locate, especially the Sky High zone emerald.

One of the most memorable features of the 16-bit Sonic games was the way rings would fountain forth from Sonic when he took damage, a feature sorely lacking from the first 8-bit incarnation of the game. Fortunately, this has been rectified to an extent in this sequel, as Sonic will now drop a small number of rings and these can be recollected if quick.

Another way that Sonic 2 improves over the original game is the level design. The 16-bit Sonic games were remembered for featuring multiple paths through each level, lending the titles a sense of non-linearity and replayability and was something that felt like it was missing from the first 8-bit entry in the series. Whilst the levels in Sonic 2 aren't as large as those in it's 16-bit sibling, they do feature multiple paths, hidden areas and and hidden bonus areas for the eagle-eyed player to discover.

The game features some impressively slick and responsive scrolling, although the frame-rate does suffer the occasional stutter when things get busy. The Game Gear and Master system might not have had Blast Processing, but still managed to turn in a solid performance. Special mention must go to the Scrambled Egg zone where Sonic whizzes around numerous perspex tubes at a great rate of knots with nary a dropped frame to be seen!

If there's one aspect where the Game Gear version suffers, however, it's the size of the visible play-area. The hand-held was effectively a portable Master System, albeit one with a smaller screen resolution, and this means that it's very difficult to react to the game's various hazards and enemies. Whereas players of the Master System version might observe rows of deadly spikes lurking at the bottom of a deep pit, the smaller player area of the Game Gear means that, all too often, the player is unable to see these perils and must often make a leap of faith to progress.

As I was playing, I also realised that the game was completely devoid of any bonus levels, something that even the original game manged to include. In this sequel there's no such thing, which is a real shame.

Sonic 2 for the Game Gear is a solid and fun game that fans of the platforming genre are sure to enjoy. It's just a shame that the various niggles and complaints with the game mean that it never quite lives up to expectations. Ultimately, the game is a solid platformer that's fun to play, but falls short of being a genuine classic.
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