Yasuhara is a fascinating man.

[G.Silver]

I find it's easier to just do a running jump at the wall, right before the ramp begins.

[Shadow Hog]

Wait, there's another way to get there? I always just jumped through the first wall on your left at the very start of the level (right after the initial drop; there's a ramp there, IIRC). No floating platforms, no freezing jets, and not very reliable a method, but it does let you in.

[P.P.A.]

Wait, there's another way to get there? I always just jumped through the first wall on your left at the very start of the level (right after the initial drop; there's a ramp there, IIRC). No floating platforms, no freezing jets, and not very reliable a method, but it does let you in.

Err, what? The secret room is a lot further into the level, there's nothing behind the ramp at the start.

[Shadow Hog]

No, I definitely remember it being at the spot I specified. Maybe there are two?

Hmmph, I should look into a map of the thing, then.

ED: okay, you're right, it was a bit further in. I was right about the ramp, at least.

[gr4yJ4Y]

The last time I played through Sonic CD I actually "got" it. Trying to achieve the goal of a perfect future, without the Metal Sonic hologram, and collecting 50 rings before finishing the level in under 10 minutes is actually fun. It's not nearly as fun as Sonic 1-3&K, but it's still good. I suppose going into it trying to play it like a normal Sonic game (like I did the first few times) can be really disappointing, but if you play through it while trying to complete all the goals, it's great.

The disjointed level design would normally be a flaw, but when you're trying to time travel it helps and hurts you exactly where the the designer wanted it to. It's set up so you come out from another time in very particular locations and so you don't come out in others.

And I can see where P.P.A. is coming from when it comes to replayability (although I don't think I'd use Mario Sunshine as a good example of this). Mario Galaxy is exciting and fun on the first time through, but going through again (even as Luigi) makes the levels feel baren and lacking. Racing, shmups, and most arcade games assume you're going to be playing the same levels over and over again, but with each retry you become better and better at it, eventually being able to get a faster time or overcome a great challenge. There are even some parts in Sonic games that rely on level memorization, the best example of this is in Sonic 2's special stages. I don't think anyone can get through some of those without knowing where the rings and bombs are going to appear.

I think it all comes down to what kind of gamer you are. It's not a matter of "good" level design or "bad" level design necessarily. But in the case of Sonic CD's unique design philosophy, I'd rather have any of the more regular Sonic levels instead.

[G.Silver]

Great, see, that's wonderful! You don't have to like it best, you just gotta understand.

The interesting thing for me, reading this, is that that's how I played Sonic 1 in the first place. The whole thing about the Green Hill Zone for me was that I could go anywhere, instead of taking the straight "Mario" path through a level, I had this huge stage to run around and play in, hit every path, collect every ring (within reason). Sonic CD more than any other encourages that sort of behavior.

I don't think anyone can get through some of those without knowing where the rings and bombs are going to appear.

Is there anyone here who can get the Chaos Emeralds in Sonic 2 who doesn't have the special stages completely ingrained into some sort of body memory? If you asked me to plot it out on paper I could never do it, not even for one stage, but I haven't played Sonic 2 in a long time, and I know based on the last time I played (with a similarly long break there) that I could get every emerald with no trouble at all.

[Cuckooguy]

That's actually kind of funny, a year or two ago I was playing one of those plug-n-play things with Sonic 2 preloaded in at a Toys 'R' Us and I played the Sonic 2 special stages and happened to instinctively remember where everything was and what was going to come up despite not having played the game for years and I managed to get the Chaos Emeralds with no problems.

Also, whenever I see Sonic 1's Chaos Emeralds, I always see a face, and I can't see it as a jewel. Is it just me?



I see 2 eyes and a nose thing like a snowman face on each Chaos Emerald, and for me, I've never been able to see them as anything else no matter how hard I tried.

[G.Silver]

Now that you mention it I can see it too, but I'm going to work hard to see only emeralds in the future.

[gr4yJ4Y]

I don't see a face, but I used to only be able to see fists, or some kind of hand shape, like a baseball glove holding something.

[Oompa Star]

The faces are more noticeable on the darker colored emeralds.

[DackAttac]

Shit. I totally see it now, and I'll never see emeralds again.

I used to see stuff like this as a kid all the time before they put me on Ritalin.

[Tsuyoshi-kun]

I always thought they looked kind of like baseballs of sorts.

[Green Gibbon!]

So Yasuhara's with Namco now? That must've happened recently if he was involved with Uncharted. (Which I didn't like, incidentally.)

[Cuckooguy]

Location: A far eastern land across the sea

...New Zealand?

[Delphine]

Location: A far eastern land across the sea

...New Zealand?

Venezuela.

[Protodude]

Japan?!? ^____________________^

[Green Gibbon!]

My boss is from New Zealand!

[DackAttac]

Makes sense, pimping's been legal there for a few years...

[Green Gibbon!]

DON'T JUDGE ME LIFE IS HARD

[Shadow Hog]

I wonder, what could Yasuhara be working on at Namco, anyway? I mean, it'd be awesome if he did a character-driven game, since there seem to be so few of those these days. Thing is, Namco's kind of slim on those, aren't they?...

...unless...

[gr4yJ4Y]

They also have Pac-Man. Although that sounds like a waste of talent to put him on a Pac-Man adventure project, which seems like it will have pretty similar sales regardless of quality.