RipTen Review: Sonic CD (XBLA)

Tails, my friend, we have some catching up to do. In fact, you might even say we have to make up for lost “time”…

Longtime fans of the Sonic the Hedgehog series often recall the games from the Genesis era (or Mega Drive, if you’re outside North America) with a great fondness. However, one of the most highly-praised installments from that period is also one of the most seldom played: Sonic the Hedgehog CD, or just Sonic CD for short.

Sonic CD, helmed by the oft-uncredited creator of the character, Naoto Oshima (Yuji Naka being the Lead Programmer on the original title), was originally meant to be an enhanced version of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, which was being created by a separate team headed by Naka at the SEGA Technical Institute in the United States. Instead, Oshima wound up taking the project in another direction, creating an all-new game for the company’s ill-fated Genesis CD add-on which bore a couple of small, passing resemblances to its Western-developed sibling.

In all, Sonic CD could be considered to have been in the wrong place at the right time. Sonic the Hedgehog fever was running wild, but that same fever did not translate into sales for the SEGA CD platform, though many of those who played it considered the title not only one of the platform’s best titles, but one of the best Sonic games, period.

Following its 1993 release, the game would be ported to the Windows PC platform in 1996, gaining it a little more exposure. Years later, the PC version of the title would be added to the Sonic Gems Collection in 2005. The problem there is that unlike the preceding Sonic Mega Collection, Gems would only be released for the GameCube in North America, thus keeping it out of the hands of a fair number of PlayStation 2 and Xbox owners (though the latter would only receive the Mega Collection in any region).

But now, Sonic CD finally has a chance to hit it big with the masses; unlike previous releases, the version we are here to talk about today is being released far and wide for virtually every platform– PlayStation Network, Xbox LIVE Arcade, Android, iOS, and at some point next year, even Windows Phone 7 and Steam. Ironically, it seems that just about the only platforms not getting it at all are those branded by Nintendo, making for an interesting bit of turnabout following Gems Collection.

(Well, there’s also the PlayStation Portable, but that should probably come as no surprise by this point.)

Unlike previous re-releases, the new Sonic the Hedgehog CD is no mere port; instead, independent developer and Sonic fan Christian “Taxman” Whitehead developed a new game engine called the “Retro Engine,” and presented a proof-of-concept wherein the game was reconstructed to SEGA. Upon seeing the game running on the iPhone, SEGA was apparently impressed enough to not only make the project official, but bring it to several other platforms as well, adding new tweaks and improvements along the way.

Sonic CD was well known for many things, including its time-traveling dynamic, CD-quality soundtrack, and anime cutscenes at the start and end of the game, to say nothing of the introduction of the characters of Metal Sonic and Amy Rose. Its legacy speaks for itself, and you can find numerous reviews all over the web with a little searching; of this, we have little doubt. Rather than delve into the quality of the game itself (beyond a brief summary), the focus of this review will be on what this particular version brings to the table.

Perhaps the first thing one might notice is how everything has been adapted so that it can run in widescreen. This includes not only the menus, but the gameplay itself, as well as the title screen and even the anime cutscenes by Toei Animation and Studio Junio.

In fact, those few who did own the SEGA CD may well remember that the cutscenes were displayed in a tiny window in the middle of the screen, and were a little grainy, as most videos were for the time. But no more; though the art style is simplistic, seeing those same scenes playing at full speed and taking up the entirety of your television screen is a sight to behold.

Similarly, the game presents you with three options for the in-game visuals. These include “Nostalgia,” “Smooth,” and “Sharp” settings, which seem to evoke different levels of quality, ranging from how the original looked on the SEGA CD to a look which seems to be a little more in keeping with what is expected from today’s displays.

Several companies, including SEGA, have looked to Backbone to create “high definition” versions of their 16-bit titles for these platforms, but these efforts have typically been met with disdain, with comments of how the original graphics look “smeared” being the norm. However, while we can’t quite put our finger on just what it is, the job performed on the graphics here feels far superior to Backbone’s attempts to update 16-bit visuals. And best of all, you can adjust the visual style at any time by simply pausing and accessing the settings.

The visuals are not the only thing which has been upgraded, as the audio provides almost everything a Sonic fan– a Sonic CD fan, especially– could want.

When the game was originally released, there were two soundtracks: one for the Japanese and PAL regions, and another composed for the North American release (which itself would find its way into later European ports). Fans have readily debated for ages over which version was preferable, from Masafumi Ogata’s title theme “You Can Do Anything” (aka “Toot Toot Sonic Warrior”) versus Spencer Nilsen’s “Sonic Boom” (which would go on to be featured in Super Smash Bros. Brawl) to decidedly different approaches to stage music (the Japanese versions featuring three variations of a common theme per zone, whereas the NA version would use different themes altogether), and even the boss music.

Following the announcement of this release, SEGA stated that it would only feature the Japanese/PAL music due to some licensing issues. Hope was kept alive, however, by talk that the North American soundtrack might be offered as downloadable content, so as to offset the cost of reusing Nilsen’s music.

Now, we aren’t sure what happened, but it all worked out for the best as this version of Sonic CD comes with both soundtracks. That’s right– while the Japanese music is the default when you download the game, you can switch it over to the North American soundtrack from the menu at the title screen. Unfortunately, unlike the visuals, you can only make this switch from this menu. It’s only a minor gripe, as being able to switch soundtracks on the fly and compare them as you go through the game would have been a great feature, but we aren’t about to complain– not when we thought we might not get Nilsen’s tunes at all.

Now, we did say it brought “almost” everything a fan would want. The “almost” applies to the unfortunate omission of the Engrish lyrics from the Japanese theme song, “You Can Do Anything.” Given that was a large draw for fans of that soundtrack– and even a favorably silly part for those who prefer the other– it’s unfortunate that they were mysteriously left out.

As an aside, it should be noted that you are able to adjust the volume of the sound effects and music in relation to one-another, and you can do this at any time from the pause menu.

As beloved as the game was to many fans who played it, it wasn’t without some issues, and we don’t just mean the music. Sonic felt a little different in how he controlled as well compared to post-Sonic 1 games, and this is perhaps best represented by the Spin Dash. With Sonic CD being developed at the same time as Sonic 2, both wound up taking the same basic idea and putting their own– *ahem* –spin on it.

The Sonic 2 version, which has you press the jump button repeatedly while holding down, is perhaps the best known. Not only did it come first, but it would become the standard for many, many other games to follow. Sonic CD, however, only required one button press and Sonic would gradually build towards his (seemingly slower) top speed. Of the two, it was far less warmly received.

The Retro Engine version, however, takes both versions into account. Like the music, it must be selected before you start up your game, but players can now choose between both types of Spin Dash, with the more “classic” style set as the default. And as much as we love Sonic, there are those far more hardcore than we are, and word is that switching the Spin Dash style affects the controls in other ways as well, with whatever differences there are between the Sonic CD and Sonic 2 versions of gameplay present and accounted for. We didn’t notice a huge difference beyond the Spin Dash, but more hardcore fans might.