VGRC

These days, the Sonic the Hedgehog series has devolved into one of the biggest running jokes in the gaming industry. If it wasn't for the fact that Sonic games continue to sell at an astronomical rate, it wouldn't be a far cry to label the series as the spiritual successor to the Army Men games in the marketplace.

Though some of us still remember the series heyday from the 16-bit era, when the name "Sonic" actually represented "quality platform game." However, when most people look back on that era, nobody seems to recognize the forgotten 16-bit gem, Sonic the Hedgehog CD.

Developed at the same time as Sonic 2 as the successor to the original Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic CD was plagued by development delays and ultimately limped onto the market a year after Sonic 2, in 1993. While it received overwhelmingly positive reception at the time, the commercial failure of the Sega CD hardware relegated Sonic CD to little more than a footnote in gaming history.

So what has the mainstream gaming community missing out on? While Sonic 2 and Sonic CD were developed at roughly the same time, Sonic CD can be almost viewed as a different branch of the Sonic series gameplay evolution from the first game, with the two games sharing similar ideas. However, the two games diverge in the execution, with Sonic CD taking a more radical adventure-oriented approach than Sonic 2's tried-and-true "race to the finish" formula.

The main element that sets Sonic CD apart is time travel. Each level is divided into 4 time periods: Present, Past, Bad Future and Good Future. Sonic can travel through time by running through "Past" and "Future" time posts and sustaining top speed for a few seconds. Starting out in the Present, Sonic must travel back to the past and destroy robot-generating machines left there by Robotnik. If he succeeds in this, he can create a "Good Future." If not, the future levels will default to a Bad Future.

Even Boss fights became less straightforward, ranging from having to hit Robotnik on a makeshift pinball table, to a deadly race against (the then new) antagonist Metal Sonic.

Sonic CD also incorperates its own version of the "Spin Dash," Sonic's trademark move when you hold the down arrow and charge up a spin. However, Sonic CD also gives Sonic the "Super Peel-Out" ability not seen in the other 16-bit platformers, where you can hold the up arrow and charge up a run, enabling Sonic to run even faster than he would if using a Spin Dash, though it leaves him vulnerable to attack.

Another CD vs 2 difference is the bonus stages. Whereas in Sonic 2, you ran down a tubular course collecting rings, Sonic CD puts you in an Mode 7-esque 3D environment (think: Battle Mode from Super Mario Kart) where you have to seek out and destroy several floating UFOs to collect the Time Stones, collecting seven of which will create Good Futures for the rest of the game as well as unlock the "Good" ending.

However, one of the biggest things that set Sonic CD apart from Sonic 2 (as well as its predecessor) was the overall presentation, opting for a more surreal level designs, as opposed to the cartoonish style of Sonic and Sonic 2. The graphics aren't as polished as Sonic 2's, but that, combined with a more vivid and colorful palette made for a more dreamlike and almost psychedelic environment.

This was only amplified by the soundtrack, which thanks to the CD-based storage medium, enabled Sonic CD to use pre-composed stereo background music, as opposed to the MIDI-esque sythesisers of the Genesis. On top of this, each time period for each level had its own variation of the theme: Bad Futures actually sound darker and bleaker, while the Past levels help convey a more primitive and naturalistic era. It's all good stuff, and will likely be a candidate for a VGM Flashback of its own on this blog in the near future.

While the Sega CD has come and gone, luckily it isn't too hard to come across a working copy of Sonic CD. You can pick up the game and a working Sega CD for dirt cheap on eBay, plus it's included on Sonic Gems Collection, making it easily accessable on modern consoles. Not to mention there is a Windows 95/98 port circulating, which can be made to work on XP with a simple patch. Whatever your method, however, it is well worth your time to seek out this forgotten gem in the Sonic the Hedgehog series.

9	Surreal environment. Time travel gameplay is executed perfectly.
	"Sonic Boom" theme song is the only part of this game that didn't get ignored by time.