Am I the only one who thinks that Sonic 2 looks like shit compared

The style is different, but not worse. I still prefer Sonic 2's one more than S3&K's one.

Sonic 2 is considered GOAT because Tails and the spindash, and the variety of levels. Visuals don't really count in the "love"people have for this game.

Nah....that level in particular is a bit on the ugly side, sure, but as a whole I love the look of the stages

Let's discuss best visuals:
Sonic 3&K, SonicCD or Knuckles Chaotix?

SonicCD for me, inb4 CDfag, inb4Sonic CD is fedora-tier

I was definitely put off by how they changed sonic's sprite for 2.

and although I played it a lot and eventually beat it (no chaos emeralds though), I still liked 1 better.

I preferred 6 zones X 3 acts over the, I don't know, 20 zones in sonic 2, even though they only had 2 acts.

Yep. Sonic 2 has some boring looking stages like Hill Top and zones that look like something out of a generic mascot platformer, like Mystic Cave. The unreleased Wood Zone looks even more generic and uninspired.

CD had the best art.

>>3373703
CD looks like a geometric fever dream. I don't care for Sonic's sprite in 3, but the levels look the best there. Hydrocity act 2 is still visually stunning to me to this day.

>>3373703
CD's visuals are amazing. Really wish we had a good sonic game with that look.

>>3373164
Not like shit, but pretty bland nonetheless. Sonic 2 is definitely not the reference if you're after good-looking Sonic games.

I don't think the first game looks better, though.

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>>3374603
I'm pretty sure it does though.

>>3374607

Nothing beats Spring Yard. 10/10 visual design. It's the essence of Sonic visuals, without overdoing it. It's just the right amount of beautiful, comfy natural landscapes, technology, and pinball elements. It only needed a loop-de-loop like the ones on GHZ and SLZ.

Still, I prefer Sonic 2 over 3&K. It's more similar to 1 and CD with vibrant colors and that outlandish look, 3&K tries to go fore a more "realistic" feel.

>>3373164
Sonic's running animation in the beta version was gorgeous.

>>3373703
Knuckles Chaotic looks pretty amazing.

>>3373704

How different is his sprite? It's darker, that's about it.

>>3373164

CD is the best looking by a long shot.

I really like how 2 looks, but it's probably just nostalgia.

>>3373164
Possibly because it had Americans working on the art. Sonic Team tried their best to get them to use the same art style, I know that Oil ocean zone was revamped a few times for example.

>>3373164
No, I always thought it was way uglier and less appealing than S1/CD/3&K. It's the combination of out-of-character art style with a dubious color palette (in comparison with the other sonics). Also the levels are weird for a sonic thematically speaking

>>3378050
Interesting piece of info, thx

It was it made by Japanese through and through

It's not only the ugliest of the original games, but it's also a broken piece of shit, especially if you actually try to beat the game with all of the emeralds.

The seventh special stage is complete bullshit with rings just haphazardly placed with no pattern whatsoever, and it doesn't seem like they even bothered to playtest Super Sonic.

Sonic 1 and S3&K both have their fair share of bugs, but I don't generally find them interrupting a playthrough when I'm not specifically looking for them.

I've always considered Sonic 2 on the same level as Sonic 1 and S3&K, but in the past week I've been trying to beat it with all the emeralds and I've had to conclude that it's just a shitty game that was never properly tested. 4 times now, I've collected all 7 emeralds while on Emerald Hill, only for the game to glitch out and either crash or become unplayable sometime between Mystic Cave and Wing Fortress. Sometimes its the bug that forces you to reset if you jump after running past a signpost, sometimes the graphics glitch the fuck out.

And there are lots of more minor bugs, too. Like how checkpoints will sometimes be lit even though you've never touched them, or the fact that you can fall too fast for the camera on Hill Top, killing you, or that you can run off the edge of Wing Fortress and die in that sequence where Sonic jumps on the tornado and chases Robotnik at the end of the level, if you're still Super Sonic.

>>3380021
haha yeah

still like it tho

Sonic 2 was made by filthy Americans.

>>3373692
>Sonic 2 is considered GOAT because Tails and the spindash
And 3&K is considered GOAT because Tails actually is more than a palette swap

>>3373703
CD really doesn't look that good
The art style itself is nice but the execution is meh

Sonic Mania Studiopolis Zone looks kinda what Sonic CD should have looked more like imo

>>3373971
CD IS Good
It isn't as good as the Trilogy but it's still a pretty nice game although it takes some getting used to

>>3375165
>Nothing beats Spring Yard. 10/10 visual design.
I can see where you're coming from
I feel that way about Labyrinth and Hydrocity too

>>3381775
I can't stop listening to the music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGR5fTO2oio

>>3378050
>Possibly because it had Americans working on the art.
Except not really
Sonic 2 was rushed and the bigger number of zones probably meant the stages couldn't have as much going on for them(like look at GHZ vs EHZ)

>>3378303
>Also the levels are weird for a sonic thematically speaking
Not at all
Sonic 2 introduced the Casino level after all

>>3380021
>Collecting the emeralds
>in Sonic 2
>ever
That's where you fucked up son
Screw the chaos emeralds in Sonic 2...they are not worth it(the bad ending is better than the good ending)

>>3381786
IMO this edit sounds much better
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_Vufz_94h8

>>3380027
Nah Naka, Yasuhara and a bunch of other japs still worked on it so you're wrong

Sonic 2 was simply rushed and because it had more zones than Sonic 1 they couldn't do as much with the art for the zones because of space issues

You can't deny that it has the best music, though:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkHEzqFbsmY

>>3381803
2's soundtrack is great stuff but 3&K/CD(JP)>>>>>>>>>>>>

>>3373164

Sonic 2 looks great. Now Sonic 3, that game looks like shit compared to the others.

>>3381792
I get that, and I still like playing the game, I just really wish they'd actually test the game. If you're not supposed to collect the emeralds and become super sonic, why leave it in?

>>3381803
It has some jams (special stage music) but personally I consider it to have the weakest soundtrack between it, Sonic 1, Sonic 3 & Knuckles, and both versions of Sonic CD.

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REMEMBER THIS GEM? Can someone explain to me how to beat the first boss without a spindash?? it's almost impossible

>>3381843
>the first boss
On game gear that boss is terrible. Hell the game is a lot harder on game gear for the worst reasons, mostly screen crunch. You have to use the things that are being thrown at you to hit the boss.

>>3381812
Holy fucking shit kill yourself
Sonic 3 looks lightyears better than Sonic 2's flat-looking shit

>>3381838
>If you're not supposed to collect the emeralds and become super sonic, why leave it in?
Getting the chaos emeralds is optional(but imo not worth it since you can't even save Super Sonic because no save feature and I hate Sonic 2's special stages with a passion)

Sonic 2 was clearly rushed to capitalize on Sonic's success
There's some bugs where Tails spazzes the fuck out when you're playing as Sonic & Tails like in Metropolis when you run in those conveyor belts

>>3373164
>2 characters, not too bloated
>casino nights wonderfulness
>that fucking first act theme
>final stage made an effort to be different

Idk man I loved it, my only criticism is it's too easy.

>>3381863
I think this is a matter of opinion. All we can say for sure is that Sonic 3 changed the style up a lot.

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>>3373164
No. I remember throughout 92 Sonic two was my most anticipated game. I was so hyped for a sonic sequel. Then Sonic 2 dropped in like november or december 92. And i was shocked how bad it was. Expectations were through the roof and the actual game was kind of painful.
The backgrounds looked rushed. Instead of entirely new backgrounds and levels it felt just like more of the same, only worse. The music wasnt as catchy. i hated this little fox shit. Bosses sucked and most of all i HATED the shitty stop and go gameplay. The second level is a pain in the bum too and gets my vote of most annoying sonic level ever. Sonic 1 is much more polished. Yet sonic 2 has the most fans. Probably due to the hype in the usa at that time. Anyway HATE it. And i really tried to love it. Thank god sonic 3 was much better.

>>3373164
Sonic 2 starts out beautiful but by endgame the levels start to look a bit ugly.

>>3380021
I go out of my way to play as Solo Tails just so I don't accidentally go Super Sonic in Wing Fortress and fuck up all the jumps.

>>3382104
>The music wasnt as catchy.
Funny, I feel the opposite.

>>3382104
Now of course that's your opinion, but I feel like dismissing Sonic 2 as an overhyped low-quality game is a little bit too much.

It set the standard for the series in everything: spin dash, going fast with multiple roads/forks, etc. It's the first game in the series where Sonic's speed actually made sense.

Yep, the backgrounds are more of a "reprise" of the original. But so is almost every other Sonic game, they all have casino/carnival-themed levels, their versions of Green Hill and so on.

The "second level" (I guess you mean "Chemical Plant") is not hard at all once you learn the map, despite it has few tricky parts which I couldn't beat when I was 9 or so. Still, it's far from being a hard stage.

Now of course it's not without its own faults… The emerald stages are shitty and there are several zones I don't like very much. But beside that it's still not only worthy of being a Sonic The Hedgehog sequel, it betters it in almost every way IMO.

>>3385902
I think Sonic 2 is a good game, but it confuses me that lots of people on /vr/ seem to think it's the single best Sonic game, when Sonic 1, Sonic 3 & Knuckles, and arguably Sonic CD are all better games.

Damn that fight felt claustro as fuck

>cold machinery-looking background
>no rings
>no windows
>that tiny monitor with Robotnik laughing at you

>>3387598
> but it confuses me that lots of people on /vr/ seem to think it's the single best Sonic game
Yeah, I actually don't understand that sentiment either. Really, I don't think one can dismiss any Sonic game on Genesis.

What I really like about it is that it has no cutscenes and shitty "cinematic" moments and goes straight to the point. I got sick of those in 3/S&K.

Game-wise, I think 2 is a bit more simple than 3/S&K, with less variety. But both are great games to me.

Thoughts on the Android port of Sonic 2? I think it's alright. Stumbled across the Hidden Palace Zone on my first play through, it was... Interesting, I guess. The 3D effect added to the special stages is kinda neat, without detracting anything from the original gameplay.

>>3373164

You're the only one.

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I dunno, I kinda liked 2 the most.

>>3382104
Low quality bait. Apply yourself.

Didn't Mark Cerny work on Sonic 2?

No wonder that game looks more generic. He's the creator of Knack - generic and uninspired seems to be his schtick.

Boss soundtrack though:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhHa7ph5GLg

>>3388807

I played through Sonic 2 recently and I didn't see his name on the credits. There were a few american names though, like Bill Wilis and Brenda Ross, no idea who they are.

Now I am biased because I played Sonic 2 every day after school for hours on end for like 2 or three years back in the day but I don't understand what's not to like about the game. The only other Sonic game I've played is 3&K so I don't have much to go by as far as comparison but I don't understand how anyone could not like 2.

>>3388071
my favorite thing about Whitehead's Hidden Palace Zone is that I never saw a single bubble replenish area but you never have to drag your ass through the water too long and you're expected to catch some tricky platforms to get to the surface. I don't think it's the fact that you slow down in water that I never entirely disliked in the genesis games, it's that they made the level design a chore.

>>3388853

I think Sonic 2 is an OK game, but I think 3 > 1 > 2 > CD. My problems with the game:

- Way too many places where there are bullshit ring losses and one-hit deaths - by far the biggest fundamental problem with the game.
- Way too long of a game paired with no save system.
- Special stages are cancer.
- NO FUCKING RINGS IN THE FINAL LEVEL WHAT THE FUCK SEGA!?!?

>>3388998
>git gud
>git gud
>git gud
>aquire skill

>>3388809
He was a director at sega, in charge of the relationship between japan and usa. I don't know if he had any word in development other than getting Nakas team, currently in an exodus from japan, to sit down in their US office and work on the game with their local SOA in-house brain trust.

>>3389032

Or I could just play Sonic 3 and Knuckles.

- Much better level design with very little bullshit out of fucking nowhere - it's challenging but fair.
- Save system, with the option for No Save if you're that masochistic.
- Fantastic special stages that are also challenging but fair with (more importantly) no bullshit entry requirements.
- One of the final boss battles still has no rings but the boss itself is less bullshit so it's whatever.

I concede that Sonic 2's negatives tend to go away after you've learned the entire game front to back and know about the bullshit ahead of time, but it still makes the game incredibly frustrating to play the first few times through, or if you haven't played the game in a while.

>>3389048
>Sonic 3K
>better than Sonic 2
ahahaha

>>3388998
>>3389048
> - Way too many places where there are bullshit ring losses and one-hit deaths
Give at least one example please. I remember only few "bullshit ring losses", especially having memorized most levels.

> - Way too long of a game paired with no save system.
Long? It's not long at all, if you don't collect the emeralds which are pretty shit in Sonic 2 as most people mentioned. Lots of NES games had no saves or cheats and somehow people beat them. And for crying out loud, it's a fucking Sonic game—it's a joy speedrun the levels and you can often do in under 1 minute.

I think of beating the first few levels as a good training, NES/arcade style. Also I've memorized them almost entirely. Just find the best route and go with it every time.

> Special stages are cancer.
Now here I have to agree. Sonic 3 special stages are by far better.

> - NO FUCKING RINGS IN THE FINAL LEVEL WHAT THE FUCK SEGA!?!?
Well, yes. Here I also agree.

2 > S&K > 3 > 1 > CD

S3&K = CD > 1 >>> 2

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>>3389326
Mein nigger.

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>>3388556

>>3388809
Brenda Ross was one of the level designers and fans like to bug her with questions about the missing desert level she worked on.

>>3388071
How do you access hidden palace zone?

>>3390337
Fall in a hole somewhere in Mystic Cave act2.

>>3389326
>3 over anything else

>>3373704
3 is the one that changed sonic's sprite though

>>3373164
Sonic 2 sucks compared to the japanese sonic games. It was geared towards the american market. And you can tell.

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Also Sonic one has that japanese arcade game spirit of that period going. They could have totally released that game as an arcade only board. That's how polished it was. Where as sonic two was just rushed to make lots of money on the american market before christmas.

>>3391991
but sonic 3&k IS american

>>3389048
>very little bullshit out of fucking nowhere
What about those spikey balls in stage 3?

>>3392645
Those don't instakill.

>>3373704
>I preferred 6 zones X 3 acts over the, I don't know, 20 zones in sonic 2, even though they only had 2 acts.
wat
8 zones (16 acts) + Sky Chase, Wing Fortress and Death Egg

>>3391991
>>3392045

Neither Sonic 2 or 3&K are "american", 99% of the team was still consisting of japanese Sonic Team members, lead by Naka and Yasuhara.

Yes, Sonic still tried to pander to american kids first and foremost, but the developers are japanese.

>>3385902
>multiple roads/forks
No
This is straight from Sonic 1 and Sonic 1 did it better

>It's the first game in the series where Sonic's speed actually made sense
This doesn't make any sense either
Sonic 2 only removed the speedcap, otherwise it feels like Sonic 1 overall

>>3387598
>Sonic CD
Not this game, oh no no no

>>3388046
>What I really like about it is that it has no cutscenes and shitty "cinematic" moments and goes straight to the point. I got sick of those in 3/S&K
OH COME ON
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

I thought they were well done and unintrusive
They also added a little life to the stages with the mini-boss messing the stages up most of the time

>>3388807
Has nothing to do with Cerny(who was probably a minor figure there anyways)

It has more to do with Sonic 2 being rushed for the 1992 Holiday and it has to do with the fact they worked on it every day for 16 hours with little to no rest

Choosing to increase the zone count with the same amount of storage also meant that the Zones were going to be less detailed

>>3388998
>NO FUCKING RINGS IN THE FINAL LEVEL
That was a good thing though
Upped the challenge a bit

Nowadays Silver Sonic/Death Egg Robot are piss easy though
Wing Fortress Zone's boss on the other hand...fuck that cocksucker

>>3389098
Yes it is
Just because you got your Genesis with Sonic 2 on Christmas of '92 when you were a toddler doesn't make Sonic 2 the best game

In fact Sonic 1 is also a better game than 2

>>3392045
>but sonic 3&k IS american
No
>Yuji Naka at first hit the same hesitation that he had when approached with Sonic 2, not wanting to simply work on the same game over and over again. He finally agreed to be a part of the project if he was allowed to work primarily with the Japanese-half of STI, hoping to avoid much of the drama that resulted during the last game because of the differences between the Japanese and American work culture.

http://info.sonicretro.org/Game_Development:Sonic_the_Hedgehog_3
>>3391991
>CD better than 2
>CD better than a Yasuhara game
Ayy lmaooooooooo

>>3392709
>This is straight from Sonic 1 and Sonic 1 did it better
Pssh no way. Sonic 1 was really linear unless you count shit like the Marble Zone skip

>>3392002
Sonic 1 was not meant to be an Arcade game
>Featuring multiple pathways and plenty of secret areas, the eighteen main courses were created specifically with replayability in mind, with game director Hirokazu Yasuhara wanting a game that could stand the test of time, something more than a basic arcade experience.

http://info.sonicretro.org/Sonic_the_Hedgehog_(16-bit)#Gameplay

I actually quite enjoyed Sonic 2 when I was a child, and i found it to be real fun and good looking too. Actually I liked all of the Sonic games from the Genesis (excluding of course the shit pinball game). I even enjoyed 3d blast, it was actually fun IMO.

My favourite is still Sonic 3 & Knuckles. Could never beat the last level + final boss without losing a life due to the time limit though.

>>3392674
and nothing instakills you in sonic 2 other than wedging yourself

Sonic 2 is definitely the worst looking of the original games by a long shot. It doesn't look BAD, mind you. Just not special. It's lacking a lot of the surrealism that made 1 and especially CD so great, but it uses the same artwork style in spite of this so things just look dull and plastic-y. Sonic 3 went for a more "realistic" bent as well but it's artwork is a lot more lush and detailed than 2's so it works better.

Sonic 2 does have my favourite classic Sonic sprite, though. I use it in Sonic 3 Complete.

>>3392751
Compare GHZ to EHZ
Compare Spring Yard to Casino Night
Labyrinth to Aquatic Ruin
Star Light to Chemical Plant

Sonic 1 was far less linear

>>3392761
Sonic Spinball wasn't shit, it was just brutally difficult

>>3392773
Sonic CD's art-style looks half-assed to me
Everything in that game to me screams unfinished
CD is like poor man's Sonic 1 if that makes sense

Sonic 2's zones being less detailed I think has to do with storage limitations(it had more zones than 1 in a 16mbit cartridge)

3 isn't "realistic"...it's more organic I think is what you mean
But a zone like Marble Garden looks like it could have come out from Sonic 1 and a zone like Carnival Night looks like Casino Night

>>3392787
Yeah, Sonic CD is definitely love it or hate it overall, not just graphics. I'm in the love it camp myself, it's a lot more meditative than the other games.

>3 isn't "realistic"...it's more organic I think is what you mean
That's a good way of putting it.

>>3392709
> This is straight from Sonic 1
Wow! What a fucking surprise! Sonic 2 took from Sonic 1! No fucking kidding.
> and Sonic 1 did it better
How so? On Green Hill—maybe, but Emerald Hill and Chemical Plant took this idea way further. I don't even remember all Chemical Plant routes and I'm not sure I know all of them. I could replay this stage dozens of times and not get bored.

But speaking of Sonic 1, Marble Zone is a snoozefest with occasional stashes of rings hidden here and there. Other stages are better but still emptier/less complex than most levels in Sonic 2.

>It's the first game in the series where Sonic's speed actually made sense
Sonic's speed made no sense in Marble Zone. It felt very much like a Mario World level. Same with Labyrinth Zone—why the hell would you hype a game with Blast processing and immense speeds and make an underwater maze stage? Beats me. And again, Scrap Brain does the same thing.

Some of these complaints apply to Sonic 2 zones (especially Metropolis Zone), but at least the rest of the stages was alright and you had spin dash.

>>3392798
>Marble Zone is a snoozefest
Reddit pls go

>>3390369
>Hidden Palace Zone
bull shit, you needed a game genie and the level select cheat.

>>3392761
Spin Ball wasn't shit, Sonic 3D was shit. Had nice music though.

>>3392773
I always thought sonic 3 looked too bright and cartoony. I preferred the slightly muted colors of sonic 2.

>>3392798
>why the hell would you hype a game with Blast processing

*sigh*

>>3392818
> Push blocks
> Autoscrolling parts
Wow so fast

I think Sonic 2 visuals are one of its strong points. The gameplay itself is pretty broken. If you look closely at the details instead of zipping through, there's actually a surprising amount of detail. Not SNES-caliber graphics, but pretty good for genesis.

>>3393201
>The gameplay itself is pretty broken.
I don't see how. There are some unfortunate glitches and the climactic stretch (Sky Chase, Wing Fortress) is a letdown compared to what precedes it, but for the most part it's pretty well-designed.

>>3393262
Maybe it's just the lack of a save system having to replay the earlier levels again and again. Then if you lose all your lives it turns into a catastrophe.

>>3393280
So like an arcade game? That doesn't make it "broken" in any fashion in that context; you're just not used to the style.

>>3389123

What I remember off the top of my head:

It's VERY easy to get instakill crushed in those weird square-shaped moving platforms in Chemical Plant.

Aquatic Ruin had monsters bursting out of the walls with very little notice.

Spikes come out of the wall out of literal nowhere in Mystic Cave zone.

Metropolis Zone is chock full of bullshit monster placement, but one that sticks out to me is a mantis dude right after a yellow back-and-forth bounce pad series that I'm reasonably sure you literally cannot dodge.

Wing Fortress had at least one sudden acceleration whatever-you-call-it that was an unforseen deathtrap.

>>3392645

I said "very little", but that was actually the exact exception I had in mind.

>>3393954
>It's VERY easy to get instakill crushed in those weird square-shaped moving platforms in Chemical Plant.
Well I wouldn't say so. It's very obvious when they can crush you, but more importantly, there are very few ones which rotate in horizontal tunnels. It never really bothered me, this is the bane of pretty much all stages with moving blocks, be it Sonic, Mario or any other platformer. In Sonic 2 I barely ever got squashed there.

> Aquatic Ruin had monsters bursting out of the walls with very little notice.
Here I have to agree. Spin Dash does nothing there. It's a very trap-filled stage, you have to memorize it, unfortunately.

> Spikes come out of the wall out of literal nowhere in Mystic Cave zone.
Don't really think it was THAT bad. The zone had its moments, but otherwise I felt it simply raised the difficulty bar a little.

> Metropolis Zone is chock full of bullshit monster placement, but one that sticks out to me is a mantis dude right after a yellow back-and-forth bounce pad series that I'm reasonably sure you literally cannot dodge.
Yes. Now that was actually pretty bad. Needless to say I don't like Metropolis Zone very much

> Wing Fortress had at least one sudden acceleration whatever-you-call-it that was an unforseen deathtrap.

Wing Fortress was shit and full of pits overall, this is where I'd agree with your point.

Overall, I think there are more pits/bullshit on later levels. I must say I love Sonic 2 for lots of things, but certainly not for Metropolis Zone, Sky Chase and Wing Fortress. To me it felt that instead of testing skill, these levels presented unfair challenge which pretty much required memorizing/saving.

>>3373703

3&K had the best art style, CD has the best graphics, Chaotix had the best NOTHING BECAUSE FUCK YOU THAT'S WHY.

>>3389326
I've become to realize this over time, although I like CD as equal to 3&K for diff. reasons

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>>3395941
>3&K had the best art style

I don't know, 3&K has this weird art direction that tries to make it more semi-realistic than the other games. No more checkered terrains, instead you get something that tries to be more realistic but that means more boring color palettes, and the tilesets kind of look like a mess. Still not that bad, but it doesn't fit Sonic IMO.

Some zones are still very pleasing to the eye, like Hydrocity (especially act 2) or Mushroom Hill (which actually goes back to Sonic's trademark checkered terrain designs), but the majority of zones are either sorta realistic, boring looking (Marble Garden, Sandopolis, Launch base) or stuff that seems recycled from Sonic 2 (Flying Battery, Lava Reef).

What Sonic 3&K did well is the transitions between zones and the cinematics, lava reef to hidden palace transition is very well made.
But overall S3&K failed to impress me visually the same way S1, 2 and CD have.

>>3397097
To be fair Angel Island's more exotic areas Industrial Areas like Carnival Night and Launch Base nonwithstanding are quite the change of scenery from what South and Westside Island had to offer.

>>3397097
>No more checkered terrains
>Sonic's trademark checkered terrain designs

That's only really for the first stage though. CD's stages go balls to the wall in terms of flashy style and design, but they rarely ever use any "checkered" tiles or CG-like objects save for maybe PP, which is the first stage.

Remember that, supernatural islands aside, Sonic is still set on Earth.

>>3397226

Carnival was the trademark "pinball-themed" stage, like Spring Yard and Casino.
Carnival's concept is really cool, but I think something about its execution is off (and no, not talking about the barrel, never had trouble with it).
Launch Base feels like a beta/prototype level to me. It has a lot of weird design choices. It still works, but I think it couldn't match the menacing, actually industrial and dense atmosphere of Scrap Brain.
Launch Base also feels like an expanded idea from Sonic 2, in this case Wing Fortress. I mean the setting, not so much the level design which later went on to be reutilized on Flying Battery.

Hydrocity was a subterranean city, sorf ot like Labyrinth Zone. Marble Garden was like a mix of Marble Zone and Aquatic Ruins (minus the water), Ice Cap was the truly dramatic change, first snow/ice level in a Sonic game, I believe. And a good zone, too. Hydrocity and Ice Cap are easily my favorite moments from 3.

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>>3397261

It wasn't just PP, the other levels also had patterns on the terrain. Not checkered (and PP was more like triangular), but I mean that general sort of surreal touch the first 3 games have. The change in art style is not only noticeable with the general art direction of the zones, but even Sonic's sprite itself.

>>3397097
What puts me off about Angel Island and some other S3 stages is that acidic, toxic color palette. Also, agree with
> the tilesets kind of look like a mess
part.