Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is Almost Perfect

Sonic 2 is often held on a high pedestal in the Sonic community, and for good reason; it's a great game. However, this Genesis classic has a few more problems than you might remember.
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[@spontman]

Some addendums (please read before commenting): "Just git gud at da speshul stagez bro" I did. How else would I have beaten them in the first place? "Git gud" isn't the catch-all argument people seem to think it is. Something being possible to overcome doesn't make it well designed, otherwise why would anyone criticize any game in the first place? Bubsy 3D is beatable if you "git gud"; does that mean it's an amazing masterpiece? 4:13 - Apparently you can't fly as Tails in the original Genesis version. I only ever played as Sonic in that version, so that must be why I missed this. 8:25 - I have no idea why I said that Sonic Origins remade the special stages when the Christian Whitehead ports did it first (heck, those were my first experiences with these games). However, my point that they could've improved the camera behavior still stands, and if anything is only strengthened by the fact that they had more than one opportunity to do so.

[@costelinha1867]

Honestly, I can't blame you for forgetting that Tails couldn't fly when you controlled him in the genesis version. You see his CPU version doing it all the time, and you can do it in Sonic 3, and remakes of earlier games that include Tails allow him to fly, so you kinda just assume he always COULD fly. (And again, the fact that you only ever played as Sonic also helps that...)

[@robertlauncher]

To be fair to Whitehead, for SOME REASON Sega outsourced most of Origins to some randos. I think only 3, which Christian Whitehead wasn’t even satisfied with yet, was entirely their work. Who knows, if Sega made simple good decisions, maybe they would’ve had the opportunity to improve things further in the other games as well as 3. I am very exhausted between that, Colors Ultimate’s problems, and Superstars. It’s like life handed Sega three home runs and instead they just repeatedly slapped themselves in the groin with the baseball bat.

[@Iohannis42]

If you collected all coins in a level, there would be a 50,000 point bonus.

[@swamprat9389]

🤡🤡🤡🤡

[@bigblueassbaby9074]

Sonic CD was not developed by Sonic Team either. Sonic Team wouldn’t be re-established until after S3&K’s development.

[@garvensman]

Well, the nice thing about Emerald Hill, is that you can get all 7 emeralds in the two acts. You can 100% enjoy speeding through chemical plant with all 7

[@InternetTAB]

bro said you HAVE to use both sonic and tails to get rings in them lol

[@andrewmoluf4299]

@@InternetTAB Actually it's better if you are playing 1 player to use Sonic alone, it reduces the amount of rings needed for each special stage checkpoint and makes them all kinda easy. Like the above poster said, you can get 7 emeralds in the first 2 acts of the game

[@InternetTAB]

@@andrewmoluf4299 yes

[@daveOnYouTube]

Yep, exactly. I think the video creator could have taken a more critical approach and pointed out upsides like this.

[@MrInitialMan]

@@InternetTAB It actually possible to get enough rings as Sonic with Tails tagging along in all 7 levels. I know that because I've done it. Usually, I would put off the seventh emerald until Wing Fortress Stage, because precision platforming was a pain in the ass as Supersonic

[@OtakuDeju]

If you want the special stage to be easier, you need to play them without your sidekick. The stage makes you collect more rings if both Sonic and Tails are together. If Sonic is alone, even if Tails is alone, the special stages will require fewer rings. But only Sonic can go Super in this game.

[@segafreak2000]

The main thing I can always say about Sonic 2: Screw that spike pit in Mystic Cave Zone. ESPECIALLY if you somehow have Super Sonic already at that point.

[@ozanege3893]

Somehow? I litreally get them before chamical plant.

[@TheSlainGuitar]

How could you have supersonic this early ?!?

[@observer1968]

@@TheSlainGuitarjust use all the checkpoints in emerald hill and chemical plant

[@GeaForce]

@@TheSlainGuitar there are 3 checkpoints in EH1 and another 5 in EH2

[@theAmazingJunkman]

Christian Whitehead got rid of the spike pit in the iOS port and replaced it with a really cool secret 🤫 pretty sure they kept it in origins

[@DrCoeloCephalo]

The Special Stages in Sonic 2 make me hugely appreciate the Special Stages of Sonic Generations 3DS.

[@spontman]

Still gotta play through that version

[@karni75]

that’s FUCKED UP i despise those stages

[@shellder_gaming]

im hate sonic 2 special stages, and i actually like the sonic 1 special stages

[@BareKnuckleBlaze]

Just turn off Tails, you can't fly with him anyway

[@shellder_gaming]

@@BareKnuckleBlazeits still bad without tails, the camera and the bomb placement make them horrible

[@jimmykewley8386]

You are correct re Sonic 2's visual presentation, it is 'grungy' when compared to the clean looking Sonic 1 artwork. I noticed this when playing on a crt back in the 90s. Small point, but in the original Mega Drive release, Tails was unable to fly when controlled by a human. It was irritating.

[@fictionalmediabully9830]

Ah, yes. Tails in Sonic 2 - the first playable character to not perfectly tick all three staples of Sonic excellence. Gee, I wonder if there's any foreshadowing here. 😂

[@SproutyPottedPlant]

Liked for calling it Mega Drive and not ‘Genesis’

[@kenrickeason]

​@@SproutyPottedPlant You know God forbid that a company name the same product another name in another country making it, it's official name in that country?? But whatever..

[@BlueMageDaisen]

Pretty sure you're getting stressed over a joke ​@kenrickeason

[@ssg-eggunner]

​@@kenrickeasonthe name genesis sounds very corny and aside it was not initially meant to be called that, the only reason it's named genesis and not mega drive in the us is because of a company that goes by the same name, and they wanted to avoid lawsuits, in other regions such as Europe and Brazil, it was still called mega drive

[@Scerttle]

Hmm. All the complaints outlined in this video are things I loved about the game as a child. I loved the spectacle of the special stages, Sky Chase and Wing Fortress. I loved that the game's final level was punishingly challenging and took mastery of mechanics to defeat. It probably helps that it was the first Megadrive game I had played, but I wonder if this is a case of "you had to be there"...

[@hunter371]

The special stages in this game were the best of the series (Sonic CD not withstanding). If you aren't playing with someone else, select to play as only Sonic or Tails so you don't have the CPU screwing things up for you in these stages (seriously that was a really weak peice of criticism that everyone who's ever played these games is aware of). The only valid critique is that it's too easy to collect all of the chaos emeralds early in the game, so having those stages appear at the end of stages rather than checkpoints makes more sense in that regard. I absolutely loved the final stages in the air, they were fun, felt significant and challenged you in a way you hadn't been earlier in the game. The worst part of the game was how difficult the final boss was; no rings, a lot of hits to defeat and very tiny hit boxes made for an unfortunately disappointing experience.

[@VictorFC]

I also love the special stages even for multiplayer.

[@YoshiTheOreo]

To this day, i remember each special stage and their ring patterns.

[@chrisdavis2161]

I was about to comment this... The special stage for s3&k was way worse IMHO

[@vinkennest3274]

The death egg robot was for me hell. Even when i figured it out, the stupid spikes make it way harder than it needs to be

[@ChrisWilliams-ur7fn]

When you're younger that thing is super tricky

[@ridensroom6957]

I always waited til it did the drop at the end of the screen and hit it then. It took a long time but I assumed I would be killed if I jumped at it when it walked forwards

[@Queron81]

Never had problems with the spikes, because I was always behind him. Just had to take care of the bomb he fires then.

[@chrisellis4400]

You can get behind him and he'll walk away from Sonic. Then you can jump over his jet-pack flame to hit him over and over.

[@ErickC]

Try it as Knuckles (with the Sonic 2 cart plugged into the S&K one). He can't jump as high as Sonic, so you have to aim for the nuts! The precision required is batshit insane.

[@fictionalmediabully9830]

"Sonic the Hedgehog 2" was one of the most popular games in the UK at the time, cementing game consoles as mainstream gaming platforms instead of unviable jokes compared to computers like the Sinclair ZX Spectrum. It's also one of the few old games to make limited lives and continues work. Receiving a continue for getting 10,000 bonus points encourages mastering the levels, which wouldn't be innovated upon until "Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped" six years later. Overall, this game is a masterpiece. Certainly not perfect, but it's almost there. 💛

[@GamingRobioto]

I'm loving your choice of backing music

[@crazyfactsandcoolvids]

breakcore over a nerdy sonic video. this is my kinda guy lol

[@JamesR624]

"Makes it look like he has a white pimple throughout the entire game." I can never unsee that now......... thanks...

[@atmywitsend1984]

It always made me think of something else. Have you ever seen the film " there's something about Mary" 😂 Emphasised by his spikes.

[@Gambet81]

I know it’s controversial to say but I love the sonic 2 special stages, at first I was barely getting all 7 before the final fight with egg man, now I have every green hill check point memorized and can get all 7 before chemical plant on a semi consistent basis even with just sonic. But then again I’ve played through the game like 20+ times so maybe I’ve just crazy. Edit: Metropolis is very difficult yes but if you get all 7 chaos emerald before then and manege to get 50 rings you can bress through all 3. And for the final boss, you can line up your sprit with the mecha sonic fight to where you can hit im 3-4 at once. And for the egg man fight if you go to the end of the arena you can make him fall, shot out his egg boiz he goes up l, comes back down, shots less egg boiz and then you can attack above the fire from the jet pack, (you know when you can’t do it anymore when the fire get larger and brighter.) he flys up and repeat until he is dead.

[@EWOODJ]

It's not controversial. It's just popular to hate the experimentation aspect. There's tons of checkpoints (even hidden in walls ala Sonic 3/Knuckles) for a reason. Those who understand that get it. I love the Special Stages.

[@spontman]

I wasn't criticizing Metropolis, Mecha Sonic, or the Death Egg Robot as being too hard. I was criticizing them for being tedious.

[@Gambet81]

@@spontman what does that even mean? Like I get it the fight is slow but after a few times through the game you can breeze through the fight in like 2 minutes. It’s tedious at first but if you can do it fast if you do it enough.

[@lukebytes5366]

​@@Gambet812 minutes is kind of hell for a boss that one-shots.

[@InvitationToHades]

If I didn't see a comment that liked the special stages, I would have made my own. I absolutely loved these special stages. You are not crazy my friend. I used to play this as a child with my kid brother and we used to help each other learn the special stages layout. We would alternate between Sonic and Tails (using both P1 and P2 controllers). It's actually a stretch to say that these are the worst in the franchise, because Sonic 1, Sonic CD, and Sonic Hero's special stages all exist. I think the fun part does wane once you have fully memorized each special stages ring/bomb locations, but it doesn't hamper the experience. It was also fun to see it feature on AoStH albeit for a short time.

[@reptilemark7346]

wait? tails cant fly in sonic 2 when you play as him from what i remember

[@christopherortiz5527]

He can't you are right and I don't know why you aren't getting more likes.

[@ItsUrBoi-stk428]

READ THE PINNED COMMENT BEFORE POSTING

[@hyper-2308]

S3&K IS Perfect

[@Frosty_Street]

I flew into the void as hyper sonic in lava reef zone act 2

[@hyper-2308]

?

[@TheRealHedgehogSonic]

9:34 "Eeeeeeeeexcept foooooooooor that viiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine!"

[@edonslow1456]

Sonic 2 for speed. Sonic 3 for platforming.

[@lasercraft32]

I really hate that people will get mad at you for making any form of criticism towards the "classics."

[@an0therdimensi0n99]

there is a very fine line between being critical and nit-picking. videos like this one are straight up nit-picking. what he did to sonic 2 is akin to highlighting all the shots michael jordan missed in his hall of fame career. it is silly

[@lasercraft32]

@@an0therdimensi0n99 Oh no... Admitting that something isn't perfect! So horrible!

[@theblubus]

9:22 - 9:35 You 100% nailed the vibe. That's EXACTLY how it happens lol

[@evan2902]

For the longest time, I'd just skip the section at 6:34 and just clip through the fans. As a six year old I just thought that's how you were supposed to do it, lol. Also, when it comes to Mecha Sonic, I'd agree that his hit detection is screwy *but* you also can't be trying to jump on top of his quills. I always figured that buzzing sound meant they were moving and dangerous, but maybe that's just me. You can completely break the fight and one cycle his ass if you stand where he drops down from, spin dash in place and then make sure to jet off before he darts across (three buzzes and you need to let go of jump). For some reason, that hurts him without hurting you LOL. (Just make sure you're facing left)

[@InvitationToHades]

True story, I also thought it was intended to clip through the fans as a kid too.

[@MrInitialMan]

I always did that, too.

[@Dreekuz]

that drum n bass was such a nice touch. subbed

[@crimsonflame1347]

Personally, Sonic 2 is my favorite Sonic game. Just as Game Apologist says: "Sonic 2 is Straight to the point with fast and to the point gameplay exploration is there but its not required, Meanwhile, Sonic 3..."

[@Iohannis42]

Pure fun.

[@GoldenGrenadier]

...is better in every conceivable way.

[@Coolguy.399]

Ooooh, nice! This is definitely a pretty unique video idea you cooked up, great job!

[@Amit7.]

That enemy in the picture of the video is a Slicer from the Japanese manual of sonic 2 😊.

[@QvartzEDM]

I think your point about the pacing of special stage placement is absolutely excellent and surprisingly hard to put one's finger on. The last time I played Sonic 2 from start to finish, my tipsy ass decided "what if I just ignored the special stages" and honestly ... I had a MUCH better time, even without access to Super Sonic.

[@ethejumper6568]

I love the "BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUT" in the Thumbnail. Sonic 2 is still greater than Sonic 1, but still not perfect.

[@RaptureMusicOfficial]

I prefer Sonic 1 over 2. Sonic 1 was groundbreaking. Sonic 2 adds nothing much to it, imho. Also the bonusrounds in Sonic1 are cooler than the 3D one in Sonic2.

[@TheHot_Take]

I'm liking where ur channel is heading! Better editing, funny jokes, and excellent points made (per usual). Keep it up, Sir Game Enjoyer and Developer!

[@fatalwaffle1715]

Awesome Video Bro! And Sonic and Tails's Nintendo Counterparts are Link and Tulin.

[@CSL32X]

Sonic 2 is a great game for sure that’s definitely why it’s a classic. This video gave me some new perspectives about some problems with the game, and even tho I’ve been able to get past these issues they were mainly from trial and error which is kinda of an excuse and not a problem solver like the death egg or special stages. Still this game is great beating the death egg for the first time was legendary for me I still think Sonic 3 is better but hey can’t really beat one of the best, another great review keep it up!

[@tshore0601]

Love the drum and bass background music.

[@garrisondyer]

I actually really liked taking my time and finding all the lamp posts in Emerald Hill Zone. I thought it was really cool that I could explore with Sonic and find what sort of felt like secret places that my friends who just blasted through the zones never even knew existed.

[@KisekiGamer1]

As a kid I hated the chemical plant because I always ended up either drowning or dying because of the moving platforms during the boss

[@mauricebraun4190]

What song is in the background at the 7:08 mark and do you have a Playlist for all the songs used in the video

[@EliasDoesEverything123]

Great video! I like all of these videos (I've been watching since 2023; I've been watching since the "Super Mario 64 VS Sonic Adventure" Video) Three questions: 1- What do you use to edit? 2- Do you ever think that you'll do retrospectives on other games, like Mario? 3- Why did you unlist the "VS" videos? You can still watch them, though why did you unlist them anyways? Anyways, great channel! I hope to see your videos grow and grow! :)

[@spontman]

1 - Shotcut. 2 - Yes! 3 - In retrospect I felt the quality of the VS videos was not up to the standards of the rest of my content. I unlisted them mainly because I didn't want them to be anyone's first impression of my channel. I kept them unlisted rather than privating them because, while I don't want them being put into recommendation feeds anymore, I also don't want to deny anyone access to my old content. Thanks for watching!

[@EliasDoesEverything123]

@@spontman Cool, dude! Great vids, keep it up!

[@SparkyMK3]

What I appreciate about Sonic 2 is that the spin-dash balances out the gameplay so much. Part of the challenge of Sonic 1 is just getting Sonic up to speed at all, but other than the Ring system, there's no fallback option for younger, less skilled players. Yes, the spin-dash lets you cheese a lot of Sonic 2, but the game never outright forces the player to use it. It's entirely possible to play Sonic 2 just like Sonic 1 for older players who want a little more of a challenge, just like how the Mushrooms and run button are (technically) optional in SMB1. I've also really grown to appreciate its arcade like pacing. I also really like it's vibrant art style--levels like Casino Night are pure eye candy. I just wish Tails was able to fly when you play as him in the original release! Im looking forward to your Sonic CD review! Its really interesting to compare that game to Sonic 2! Both great games, but in very different ways!

[@MrVilla124]

Those star fishes on The Metropolis Zone would always get me 😅! By the way, I’ve just been recommended by KZbin with this video and it was that great I subscribed!

[@cinnamondan4984]

Love your style, man.

[@KingOfApoc]

Tails doesnt fly in original Sonic 2

[@boonoog1]

A MONUMENTAL step up from sonic 1.Great review once again spontman!! : )

[@doctormodder]

This game took a wrong turn starting in Oil Ocean Zone. (I still don't know why Sega brought it back for Sonic Mania. It makes all of Superstars' Zones look good. The music doesn't fit at all, like they should have kept the Casino Night 2P music for that Zone. Like I CANNOT play the zone without this change.) Metropolis Zone just suffers with bad enemy placement. And if this game had a save feature, maybe the Death Egg Robot would be more forgiving. I still find this good, but I perfer Sonic 1 over Sonic 2 personally.

[@andrewtuell1991]

I agree on CNZ2P fitting OOZ more than its final song, but if they had done that then the music would've gone unused in the game proper like Track 10. That's one of the problems I have with Sonic 2, a lot of tracks were swapped around from their originally intended usage and a lot of the zones and music just don't gel. SCZ was obviously gonna be the winter level's music, WFZ was likely DEZ original theme, and the music that ended up being used in DEZ would definitely fit Genocide/Cyber City. The 2P music were meant for unique levels with only MCZ2P returning home to HPZ in the 2013 mobile release. For the other classic games, each theme was composed for its respective level. For Sonic 2, a lot the music fits because it has to. Kinda ruins the submersion for me.

[@Some_Cat_]

How have I not come across this channel before? Just my cup of tea! Keep up the good work 🐱

[@VampireA1056]

Title for next video: Sonic The Hedgehog 3 is Perfect

[@_TRB_]

Buuuuut...

[@jessstuart7495]

6:30 Brought back some painful childhood memories.

[@jacoblipkestudios7621]

My no deaths run of Sonic 2 is one of my greatest gaming accomplishments because of that last damn level. Even though I’ve gotten pretty consistent with not dying there, it still causes me to die sometimes unlike most other levels. So even though I literally have TG recognized world records in multiple Game & Watch games, a no deaths run of Sonic 2 is definitely my greatest gaming accomplishment, along with a no deaths run of the original Super Mario Bros no warps.

[@realguitarthur]

LMAO on the Super Sonic song! Now I'll be singing that forever! :)

[@trevor_mounts_music]

Came for sonic...stayed for the background music

[@jacobleetaylor]

Wetting my trousers for the Sonic 3 and Sonic and Knuckles videos

[@KW160]

Agreed on the special stages! Even 30+ years on, it was far too difficult to the emeralds in Sonic Origins even after playing this game most of my life.

[@kcvriess]

Nice video! Can you please put the names of the music tracks you used in the description?

[@Mark-pr7ug]

I always wondered why in the first zone there was a thin line of pixilated mess along the bottom of the screen

[@dannyc1700]

The special stages are really easy up to the 5th one then you just need to memorise them, there’s 7 checkpoints in emerald zone so once you got it memorised you can get them immediately.

[@tylerroblox1316]

Hey just a question you gonna review mania and wh n you review every game can you make a top 10 sonic games?

[@spontman]

Yes, I will review Mania when I get to it. As for a top 10, I'll be ranking every 2D game in the compilation video, which I think is close enough.

[@tylerroblox1316]

Thanks mania is not just a favorite sonic game but my favorite video game but sa2 comes close

[@daveOnYouTube]

Sonic 2 was a favorite of mine as a kid, and I've played it countless hours. Here's my take on the special stages. Because you access special stages at a checkpoint, you have multiple attempts to find a checkpoint while having 50 rings, which may have added some constraints but also forced more creative routing. You can also get Super Sonic by the third stage. Older games heavily emphasized memorizing stages, so after a few hours of playing it is very easy to grab the 50 rings before a particular checkpoint, meaning you can go fast AND get to the special stages. As for the stages themselves, I never disliked them. Some of the "surprise" moments, like going over a "hill" were fun and tested your reaction speed, and also again rewarded memorization. Overall, I think the video was great but the take on the special stages was under analyzed and catered to one opinion instead of taking a critical approach and finding both the upsides and downsides. Either way, I'll continue to watch the videos!

[@robertlauncher]

Also you can glitch through the Death Egg Robot’s chest if you hit it at the wrong time and go right inside, touching further back on the arm’s hitbox. Be careful if you go for it while it’s leaning in for the arm attack. That’s been the most consistent way I’ve clipped through and lost a life

[@selder_7]

For me that the final boss is 24 hits with 0 rings holds it back a lot, especially if you’re playing a version where you can get punted right back to the start of the game including losing chaos emeralds if you die too many times.

[@Bestmotion2389]

Let's face it, a perfect Sonic game doesn't exist

[@virtuaconker85]

Sonic 3 and Knuckles is as close as you will probably ever get.

[@CovertOwl]

Mania is pretty close. Sonic 3&K as well

[@anotheryoutubeaccount5259]

Because it was never good

[@Buttington_Headerson]

@@anotheryoutubeaccount5259based, the ring system makes the game boring af

[@chrisellis4400]

If you reset the console you will keep all your collected chaos emeralds. So you can collect them all, reset, and play through the whole game with Super Sonic. This only works once though. If you reset again you'll have to collect all the emeralds again.

[@AsayaPaul]

I'd love for you to talk more about the music, as Mr. Nakumara's songs were great inspiration for most of the music in both Sonic 1 and 2.

[@HedgehogAdventurer]

yeah so he kinda created the music in 1 and 2 so a little more than an inspiration

[@ssg-eggunner]

​@@HedgehogAdventurerI think he's more so referring to stuff reused from the band "dreams come true" (he was the bassist in it)

[@95ZR580]

Huh. Been playing this game since 92. Never could beat it as a kid. I dusted off the genesis later in life as a "grown up" so my kids could try it. First game i put in was sonic 2 and a few days later i managed to conquer it. I never knew about supersonic. I used to always play the special stages but guess i never got all the emeralds. Ill have to revesit this game again sometime in the future. Sega genesis was an amazing part of my childhood, soooo many fun games.

[@RandomRabbit1248]

WHERE IS PROFESSOR PICKLE IN THE THUMBNAIL!?

[@fictionalmediabully9830]

I see him. He's in the door to the right of the slicer.

[@DarkAngelBluejay]

The Sonic 2 special stage was always my favorite. 3D Blast was the worst, but I hated Blue Spheres. I could never beat them as a kid, but I was able to memorize the stages in Sonic 2 and get the emeralds, usually by Hilltop Zone. (In the Genesis game you didn't keep your rings after going into the special stage, so it made getting Emeralds slower)

[@johnrumpf6014]

Those special stages are my favorite

[@zachhawkins5005]

Sonic 2 was the first game as a kid that I learned how to use cheat codes on lol. My older cousin had acquired the debug mode cheat codes and state select cheats and showed me how to do them in my 5-year-old little brain was blown lol

[@joshuawilliambrodie]

Good video and overall analysis for Sonic 2. Now for the "Angry" part of the comment lol. (Although I think this is more about personal taste) I personally find the Sonic 2 special stages the best in the series. They are exhilarating an fast pace requiring quick reflexes. Although I did memorize them when I was younger and had my little brother to play as Tails to help with the difficulty. Here is an incomplete list of my special(emerald) stage rankings from most favorite to least favorite: A rank -Sonic 2 B rank -Sonic 3 & K C rank -Sonic 3D Blast D rank -Sonic 1 -Sonic Mania -Sonic CD

[@ghostfriend1694]

I found a clip in wing fortress that lets you skip the entire bottomless pit section, if you jump under the fan thats right after the winding hallway, it will fly you up (on mobile its easy, on genisis its a more finicky but still easy, and I havent bought origins, so I dont know about that.)

[@johnmeyers8542]

Was released! WAS released!

[@ErickC]

One thing I'm in two minds about is that using the spin dash as Super Sonic acts as a brake. This can be handy for controlling speed, but I can see why they removed it in Sonic 3 - zones like Hydrocity wouldn't have worked if they kept it. Careful when using the term spin dash, though - Sonic 1 had the spin dash (hitting down while moving), but Sonic 2 introduced the super spin dash (holding down and hitting a button). It's just semantics, but y'know.

[@vuurniacsquarewave5091]

My problem with the special stages was that entering them usually locks you out of collecting more lives and continues, which you earn by crossing the end of the stage with more than 50 rings. Knowing that I'm up against the final bosses which both insta-kill you I never bothered to miss my continue chances to try and get super sonic in this game.

[@edwardcarlton]

The music was really good too

[@DavidOso2024]

Honestly, I think this sonic 2 special stages is my favourite because of how it is, and many of you think it's hard but really, just try and practice and memorize the layout of the stages and you will find it enjoyable. Also, I think I am the only one who thinks playing with tails is okay and sometimes better than playing single player. And seriously, many people seriously argue that the special stages in this game are hard and having tails with sonic makes them more difficult. I don't think that is true and I am getting sick with people not liking these special stages when the issue is that they either don't know the layouts well, or they don't practice them because seriously, they are easy and enjoyable if you get the hang of it.

[@spontman]

Having to memorize them is kinda the problem lol

[@DavidOso2024]

@@spontman How about watching a walkthrough of sonic 2 and its special stages so that you can see how they do it with little to no issue.

[@TheSeanUhTron]

As a kid growing up in a household that limited TV/Video game time, I never made it that far in the Sonic 1 and 2 games since you couldn't save them. You had to turn off the TV and keep the Genesis running and hope that it's still running by the time you come back to it. That usually didn't work well unfortunately! That's why when Sonic 3 came with the ability to save games, it made a huge difference! I actually never beat the Sonic 1 or 2 games until I could run them in emulators on my computer, and that let me quick save games; So it was sort of like cheating. But at least I can say I finally beat all of the three main Sonic games on Genesis.

[@aaronsteindler3245]

"The Death egg robot isn't nearly as bad as Mecha-Sonic" It took me like 10 years to figure out how to beat this guy. I could never figure out where and when he was vulnerable.

[@averystudios02]

When I first did an actual play through of Sonic 2 the special stages are really tedious. But after beating all the special stages and running a new game the special stages aren’t bad. I could become Super Sonic by the end of Emerald Hill 2

[@constantinosfudas3785]

Sonic 2 bonus levels are my favourite

[@edwardcarlton]

Those special stages were great.

[@loganstack-vp8iq]

😂😂😂 Tails fell off the platform and he drowned

[@yiffytimes]

At 3:14 instead of going right, you go up and to the left in Chemical Plant 2. You Hit tons of rings and Power Ups

[@Gaming25]

If Tails could fly in the original on the Genesis/Mega Drive, i never figured out, how.

[@Razorgeist]

11:24 Yeah and the fact that it takes like 16 hits also adds to the tedium. That boss fight wears out its welcome real quick.

[@easydayez]

Love the video 💛

[@Dug88]

The difficulty of the final boss isn't really apparent using emulators and save states or playing modern ports. I don't even know how many times I got to that boss as a kid only to run out of lives and continues and had to replay the whole game from the beginning again. But the sense of accomplishment when I finally did beat it was pretty great. It wasn't just about beating the final boss. You had to be good enough to get to the end of the game with as many lives and continues as you could and after your first death, you had to try and beat two bosses without getting hit and you only had a limited number of tries. The whole fight both robo sonic and eggman are genuinely stressful the whole time because of that but the feeling of relief and satisfaction you get when you do win is worth it.

[@JP_Soup]

Can you make the full super sonic song?

[@spontman]

Maybe someday...

[@animemanXLK]

I'm pretty sure they tidied up Tails AI in the special stagesin the green stage theres this bit were a trail of rings snakes through several groups of bombs which Tails can easily hit losing you rings and potentially cost you the stages. My methods were to be extra greedy with the rings so Tails only has a very amount or the more extreme version plug in a second controller and move Tails to side . His AI takes about 5 seconds to kick back in which is just enough time to complete the ring snake with hopefully none lost. In most of the newer ports I've player I don't really notice this issue or at least it's far subtler. Or maybe I've just got used to compensate for Tails in the half pipe stages.

[@thegame2834]

you forgot one other tedious thing about getting the emeralds. If you are playing the original Genesis port, once you get the 50 rings and enter the special stage, once you come out of it you start off with 0 rings. Each stage you HAVE TO get 50 rings lol. It was definitely annoying as a kid.

[@whyareyoureadingmynickname8158]

I replayed Sonic 2 recently and I couldn't agree more about Metropolis zone. It's not difficult at all (I didn't even die once) but it's just so tedious and it goes on and on and on. Plus, the enemies in the stage are cheaply placed and their purpose seems to be just to slow you down rather than to pose a challenge. Wing Fortress, on other hand, kicked my ass quite a few times but I still found it more enjoyable than Metropolis. If nothing else, at least you're out in the open air. Also, as someone who loves challenge, I always avoided going for Emeralds. Yes, Super Sonic is amazing but there's no real fun in playing the game in invincible mode (at least for me). Not to mention that "bad" ending of the game is much better than "good" ending, because Tails at least matters there.

[@Haywire_HotRod]

Personally it’s my fav special stage, in concept and in the origins version in execution. I’m alright with the camera angles. Just as long as I can see the rings coming and I can recognize the pattern in time...also I jam out and sing the melody darn near the whole time every time. Like I get my silly singing on😂 🎵dah dah dah dah dadadada dahhhhhhh🎶🤣

[@TrailDave]

I like the half pipe special stages. Sonic 3 video when?

[@GoldenGrenadier]

Sonic 2's biggest issue is that it's simply outclassed by Sonic 3. When you want to go back and play Sonic 2, you have to give up a lot of features like the instashield, tails being able to fly, a story with some actual lore, and a save feature(kinda moot with the rereleases). It's kind of like how Sonic 1 feels naked without the spin dash and super sonic. I think a lot of people cling to sonic 2 over 3 because Sonic 2 was a pack-in title with the model 2 Genesis. A lot of people didn't get to play Sonic 3 until much later, if at all, and by then, nostalgia for Sonic 2 had set in. TL;DR: Nostalgia skews a lot of people's view in favor of Sonic 2 because more people played it than 1, 3, or CD.

[@MrPhoenixQuill]

On the original Genesis version of Sonic 2, if you're playing as Tails you can't fly.

[@phorchybug3286]

9:17 Strangely slaps

[@terrancebrown7149]

man said Tails the fox... its Miles 'Tails' Prower

[@raynasty184]

my favorite Sonic game of all time

[@therealarien]

It was the first sonic game I owned and I loved it but Sonic 3 kinda became my baby. It was shorter and easier but it felt cooler somehow. The music was top notch and the levels were so distinct. Plus Tails could actually fly which was a plus!

[@dionvandenberg]

Imagine (p)reviewing this game when it came out. The hype was real, and that was before us mere mortals had even dreamt of something like the internet ever existing.

[@invalidfile]

I wonder what wouldve changed if more of the beta elements of Sonic 2 were in the final game (the time travel, additional zones, etc). Would pinball levels still be an iconic thing?

[@edwardcarlton]

I remember Sonic 2 coming out. It was great.

[@Ramble_79]

Please play sonic 1 forever, sonic 2 absolute and sonic 3 air PLEASE I BEGO OF YOU

[@keithseratt5926]

Another great review ^_^

[@fresagrus4490]

Well, my completely unrequestes opinion: - I never collected the emeralds, because of the reasons you mentioned. The special stages are boring, kind of breaks the level design making it too easy, and it frustrated me losing all rings I had. I actually think the game was better without it. - The final boss, after the Mecha sonic, is horrible. Never had an issue with the Mecha Sonic, in fact it is quite logical: don't hit where he has spikes. In the final giant robotnik, you can only hit in randomly selected areas. I remember the first time I reached it when I was a child where I lost all my lives merely trying to figure out where you can actually hit. Fighting it is exactly what you describe as "tedious attack cycles", waiting for your turn because otherwise the robot is completely invulnerable. You have to hit it damn FOURTEEN times. One miss, by hitting the leg instead of the butt (why can't you hit the legs when it doesn't have spikes, fire, field forces, nothing?) and you have to start all over again as there are no rings in the entire stage. I would say this the only truly bad thing of this game.

[@TheRazrSnake]

I don’t need Tails to get special stage rings. It’s just called trial and error.