Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (8-bit)

Description

Was made in Japan by Aspect Co. Ltd. for the Sega Master System, and later 'ported' to the Sega Game Gear.Contains noticable differences from the Master System version. (i.e., the boss music is different, some boss areas are different in layout) It was released simotaneously with Sonic 2 on Genesis. It was the first appearance of both Tails and Silver Sonic on Game Gear. This is widely known as one of the hardest Sonic games ever made.

Many people did not like the vertical scrolling aspects of this game. It was very difficult as "cheap hits" came often in this game, and there wasn't enough of the stage seen at the time to make a reaction to what is happening. This problem was made worse in the Game Gear version by the lowered resolution.

The increase in meg power allows Sonic to grab back rings lost. However, the rings can roll off the screen, so the player has to be quick. Item boxes are the same as the first game, and as usual, Chaos Emeralds are scattered throughout the stages. Each is found in one stage in each of the first five zones. A sixth is rewarded if you destroy Silver Sonic in the sixth zone and have the first five emeralds. Having all six emeralds allows you to access the final stage and beat Doctor Robotnik as the final boss. If you complete that said task, you get the good ending. If you fail to collect all of the emeralds, the game ends after Silver Sonic's destruction.

There are seven zones total, each with three acts. The third act has zero rings and the boss.

The lower resolution is the first difference between the Game Gear and Master System versions. The Scrambled Egg music plays in the prelude, and the title screen has the music that was played in the prelude in the Master System version. The Underground Zone Boss seems to be more difficult due to the lowered resolution. The color of the water in the Aqua Lake Zone Round 2 is now a dark blue instead of green. The Green Hills Boss does his thing on a steeper hill, and the escape chute cannot be seen while fighting Eggman in the final zone.

The Game Gear version does not have Speed Shoes, while the Master System version does.

Gameplay

Characters

Only Sonic is playable, and he can't spindash.

Storyline

Tails has been captured by Robotnik on South Island, and you must play as Sonic to retrieve not only the six chaos emeralds but Tails as well.

Items

They are standard Sonic fare, but hidden in each level are Chaos Emeralds, which you must search for in order to get the "real" ending of the game. They are fairly well hidden, and require skill and accuracy to obtain. Many levels also contain a unique obstacle, such as the minecarts in Underground Zone, the hang gliders in Sky High Zone, and the giant air bubbles in Aqua Lake Zone.

Zones

• Underground Zone
• Sky High Zone
• Aqua Lake Zone
• Green Hills Zone
• Gimmick Mt. Zone
• Scrambled Egg Zone
• Crystal Egg Zone