Showing posts with label sonic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sonic. Show all posts
Friday, September 16, 2022
Friday, September 9, 2022
Friday, September 2, 2022
Friday, August 26, 2022
Friday, August 19, 2022
Friday, August 12, 2022
Friday, August 5, 2022
Friday, July 29, 2022
Friday, July 8, 2022
Friday, July 1, 2022
Friday, June 24, 2022
Friday, June 17, 2022
Friday, May 25, 2018
Friday, May 18, 2018
Friday, May 5, 2017
YouTube Videos: April 28th-May 4th
Some good old Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and NASCAR 98 Saturn version.
Last week's videos: http://sullivanentertainment.blogspot.com/2017/04/youtube-videos-april-21-27-2017.html
Last week's videos: http://sullivanentertainment.blogspot.com/2017/04/youtube-videos-april-21-27-2017.html
Monday, March 6, 2017
Sonic and Knuckles Collection (PC)- 20 years later
Around 1995, Sega started tinkering with some of their games and putting them onto computers. Their first few games were ones that were on the Genesis and Sega CD like Comix Zone and Tomcat Alley. After that, it was mostly arcade ports, Saturn ports, and original titles to boot. With their feet planted into that market, they continued in stride when they released Sonic and Knuckles Collection in early 1997. It is a very unique game considering it was for Windows 95, the current operating system at the time. With that in mind, has the game changed at all and does it hold up after 20 years?
This is one of those games that I would log a lot of hours in. Whether it was from Windows 95 in 1998 to mainly XP, this and Doom II kept me very busy during the 2000s. Until getting the Genesis version of Sonic and Knuckles in December 2011, this was my only way of playing Sonic 3 and Knuckles. I never realized that the game would not work on newer computers like Windows 7. With Windows 10, someone has made a program a few years ago that allows a few Sega PC games to work on modern computers titled Sega PC Reloaded. With that, it felt like the 2000s all over again playing it on Windows Millennium Edition and XP.
The overall package is you get Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic and Knuckles, both coming out originally in 1994 on the Genesis. They can be played individually or combined together for Sonic 3 and Knuckles. While that seems ludicrous today, the idea of having more than just one game on a medium was a novel concept in the mid 90s. At that time, there was Super Mario All-Stars on SNES, Namco Museum on the PlayStation, and Midway doing compilations of games from Atari, Williams, and themselves. Sega did a few with 6-Pak in 1995, and Sonic Classics in 97. Also included was the entire Blue Sphere game, which on the Genesis, had to be using the original Sonic 1 cartridge on top of the Sonic and Knuckles cart. Computers were getting in on this with Microsft having an arcade compilation of Namco arcade releases as a big example.
Graphically, nothing was changed for the compilation. Windows 95 was more than capable of doing Sonic 3 and Knuckles. Even Windows 3.1/ DOS was doing ports of Mortal Kombat really well. The only thing I noticed was the colors looking a little sharper. Otherwise, all the same backgrounds, areas, and animations are intact. I did notice on a few Special Stages that the floor glitched while playing on Windows 10, but it was only two stages. I don't know how many are affected by this, but it's probably quite a bit if you include the Blue Sphere game. Nevertheless, it still looked as amazing as it was on the Genesis.
Unlike most games today where it can be emulated, Sonic and Knuckles Collection was from an era where Sega re-tooled certain parts. The audio went through a change to MIDI formats, which really stands out compared to modern re-releases of it. Sound effects are a bit clearer, but the same. Most of the soundtrack came through intact, but a good chunk of Sonic 3's music was replaced with original tracks. Some of which sounded really good, while a few others sounding out of place. Like what a few others have said on the Internet, there are two possible scenarios.
The first one is the sound cards. Windows 95 was capable of doing real music, but most companies were still using MIDI formats at the time. Possibly some of those tracks from the Genesis version would not have survived on the PC style music. The other one is because of fearing musician Michael Jackson. Jackson was hired to work on Sonic 3's soundtrack in 1993, but news of his molestation scandal late that summer forced Sega to drop him. Whatever music he did was kept on the Genesis version while others scrambled to get undone parts finished. Jackson would later go on to do Stranger in Moscow around the same time Sonic and Knuckles Collection came out, based a little bit on the instrumental part of the Sonic 3 credits. Whether he would have put up a lawsuit, who knows what he would have done. Whatever the case, Sega took it with extreme caution and put in original music to replace the ones that Jackson did.
Getting into the games, they are as if you were playing them on the Genesis. Every bug, secret, and ways of playing are here. The levels and their designs are left intact. Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles all play like they were back in 94. They use the same features, like Tails flying to get to certain areas that are inaccessible to the others. It's vice versa for the others as well. Every TV box is here. The Special Stages and Bonus Stages are all here. This was a port that showed that computers meant business and could handle the 16-bit games very well, if not, maybe better.
This game does allow two player co-op as Sonic and Tails. It means it also allows stuff like Gravis controllers, joysticks, etc to be used along with the keyboard. Whether there is enough room near your computer is up to the individual. Competition is still here in Sonic 3 and Sonic 3 and Knuckles, All the stages and the power ups are the same as you do five laps in one of the areas. When it's all said and done, this is the kind of compilation one would want, even with it being a straight port.
Not much can really be said on the Blue Spheres game. It's like an extended version of the Special Stages, except with thousands upon thousands of stages. One can do each stage individually or collect all the rings in one so they can go ten stages ahead. Thankfully, there is the password feature when finishing a stage like in the Genesis version when you have Sonic 1 put on top of Sonic and Knuckles. This is a nice bonus to have.
With it being on a computer, here's what Sonic and Knuckles Collection does. You can reset any time you want. You can go to the Blue Sphere game whenever or switch to another game of the three. Screen sizes are here and depending on the computer, it can go faster than you think due to what I've read as the refresh rate. I remember Millenium Edition and XP running it pretty fast in full screen and going extremely fast in the smallest screen. I think that problem might be fixed with modern computers though whether that is using Sega PC Reloaded or on it's own on other modern Windows systems like 7, I don't know. Other PC stuff includes a sound test, changing the controls, allowing a menu bar, and allowing a joystick. There is a help section, but I would not use it on any post XP computers. With Windows 10, it takes you to the Microsoft Edge website.
To answer the original question, it still holds up after 20 years. Outside of how you feel about the music, nothing changed. This is one of the greatest platformers ever, and one of the great compilations of its time. Try to get your hands on this version. The disc shouldn't cost that much. This is 90s gaming perfection.
Score: 10 out of 10
This is one of those games that I would log a lot of hours in. Whether it was from Windows 95 in 1998 to mainly XP, this and Doom II kept me very busy during the 2000s. Until getting the Genesis version of Sonic and Knuckles in December 2011, this was my only way of playing Sonic 3 and Knuckles. I never realized that the game would not work on newer computers like Windows 7. With Windows 10, someone has made a program a few years ago that allows a few Sega PC games to work on modern computers titled Sega PC Reloaded. With that, it felt like the 2000s all over again playing it on Windows Millennium Edition and XP.
The overall package is you get Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic and Knuckles, both coming out originally in 1994 on the Genesis. They can be played individually or combined together for Sonic 3 and Knuckles. While that seems ludicrous today, the idea of having more than just one game on a medium was a novel concept in the mid 90s. At that time, there was Super Mario All-Stars on SNES, Namco Museum on the PlayStation, and Midway doing compilations of games from Atari, Williams, and themselves. Sega did a few with 6-Pak in 1995, and Sonic Classics in 97. Also included was the entire Blue Sphere game, which on the Genesis, had to be using the original Sonic 1 cartridge on top of the Sonic and Knuckles cart. Computers were getting in on this with Microsft having an arcade compilation of Namco arcade releases as a big example.
Graphically, nothing was changed for the compilation. Windows 95 was more than capable of doing Sonic 3 and Knuckles. Even Windows 3.1/ DOS was doing ports of Mortal Kombat really well. The only thing I noticed was the colors looking a little sharper. Otherwise, all the same backgrounds, areas, and animations are intact. I did notice on a few Special Stages that the floor glitched while playing on Windows 10, but it was only two stages. I don't know how many are affected by this, but it's probably quite a bit if you include the Blue Sphere game. Nevertheless, it still looked as amazing as it was on the Genesis.
Unlike most games today where it can be emulated, Sonic and Knuckles Collection was from an era where Sega re-tooled certain parts. The audio went through a change to MIDI formats, which really stands out compared to modern re-releases of it. Sound effects are a bit clearer, but the same. Most of the soundtrack came through intact, but a good chunk of Sonic 3's music was replaced with original tracks. Some of which sounded really good, while a few others sounding out of place. Like what a few others have said on the Internet, there are two possible scenarios.
The first one is the sound cards. Windows 95 was capable of doing real music, but most companies were still using MIDI formats at the time. Possibly some of those tracks from the Genesis version would not have survived on the PC style music. The other one is because of fearing musician Michael Jackson. Jackson was hired to work on Sonic 3's soundtrack in 1993, but news of his molestation scandal late that summer forced Sega to drop him. Whatever music he did was kept on the Genesis version while others scrambled to get undone parts finished. Jackson would later go on to do Stranger in Moscow around the same time Sonic and Knuckles Collection came out, based a little bit on the instrumental part of the Sonic 3 credits. Whether he would have put up a lawsuit, who knows what he would have done. Whatever the case, Sega took it with extreme caution and put in original music to replace the ones that Jackson did.
Getting into the games, they are as if you were playing them on the Genesis. Every bug, secret, and ways of playing are here. The levels and their designs are left intact. Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles all play like they were back in 94. They use the same features, like Tails flying to get to certain areas that are inaccessible to the others. It's vice versa for the others as well. Every TV box is here. The Special Stages and Bonus Stages are all here. This was a port that showed that computers meant business and could handle the 16-bit games very well, if not, maybe better.
This game does allow two player co-op as Sonic and Tails. It means it also allows stuff like Gravis controllers, joysticks, etc to be used along with the keyboard. Whether there is enough room near your computer is up to the individual. Competition is still here in Sonic 3 and Sonic 3 and Knuckles, All the stages and the power ups are the same as you do five laps in one of the areas. When it's all said and done, this is the kind of compilation one would want, even with it being a straight port.
Not much can really be said on the Blue Spheres game. It's like an extended version of the Special Stages, except with thousands upon thousands of stages. One can do each stage individually or collect all the rings in one so they can go ten stages ahead. Thankfully, there is the password feature when finishing a stage like in the Genesis version when you have Sonic 1 put on top of Sonic and Knuckles. This is a nice bonus to have.
With it being on a computer, here's what Sonic and Knuckles Collection does. You can reset any time you want. You can go to the Blue Sphere game whenever or switch to another game of the three. Screen sizes are here and depending on the computer, it can go faster than you think due to what I've read as the refresh rate. I remember Millenium Edition and XP running it pretty fast in full screen and going extremely fast in the smallest screen. I think that problem might be fixed with modern computers though whether that is using Sega PC Reloaded or on it's own on other modern Windows systems like 7, I don't know. Other PC stuff includes a sound test, changing the controls, allowing a menu bar, and allowing a joystick. There is a help section, but I would not use it on any post XP computers. With Windows 10, it takes you to the Microsoft Edge website.
To answer the original question, it still holds up after 20 years. Outside of how you feel about the music, nothing changed. This is one of the greatest platformers ever, and one of the great compilations of its time. Try to get your hands on this version. The disc shouldn't cost that much. This is 90s gaming perfection.
Score: 10 out of 10
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
Nintendo Switch: Last Hurrah or a Comeback?
I really do question what Nintendo thinks in their offices in Japan. For over 20 years, they have lost a lot of their home console audience due to bad decisions such as the Nintendo 64 using cartridges and a number of things from the GameCube. They rebounded a bit with the Wii, but stumbled heading out of it and failing miserably with the Wii U. Their handhelds, however, have been a consistent seller, even without much competition and the their biggest threat being the PlayStation Portable. All things considered, Nintendo is putting their eggs in one basket to bring in a unique way to play games. Coming March third is the Switch.
What Nintendo is trying to do is to combine the experience of playing on the go like people would with a 3DS, but also have the experience of playing it at home like any of their home consoles since 1983. Their aim is to focus on one system and one system only. The hope is for their to be no multiple versions of the same game like what happened to Super Smash Bros.. They seem to get the grasp somewhat on what needs to be done in order to succeed.
Regarding the Wii U, it was a big failure due to a lack of marketing, the name, pricing, and a bulky gamepad which contributed to the price, just to name a few of its mishaps. Nintendo seems like they understood the problems that plagued their predecessor and are trying to fix any damaged caused by it. I find the price to be a little high, but not a dealbreaker. Three hundred dollars is manageable. The controllers, named Joy-Con, looks to be something that will not add to the price. However, getting a set of two and a Pro Controller altogether is going to cost over a hundred dollars, which will hurt a little bit if you instantly want four player action.
You can't have a launch without having games. The lineup when Switch debuts is very small. Of course, the big one will be The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. It has been in development for a very long time and will also come out on the Wii U. Nintendo launched the Wii with Twilight Princess and it served as a strong launch game in 2006, so hopefully for the big N, they didn't anger a lot of their fanbase. That being said, the rest of their lineup as of now won't have as much of an impact like Zelda, but there is stuff that will keep some owners occupied. The next biggest franchises are Just Dance, which was still being made on the original Wii along with the newer consoles, and Skylanders, the toy based game that has been a seller since 2011. Other notable games include 1-2-Switch, Super Bomberman R, and I am Setsuna.
For the rest of 2017, Nintendo seems to understand to space the game releases over this first year to keep people interested in the Switch. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe comes out in April, but they hope its enough until Splatoon 2 releases in the summer. Then there is the Christmas season, which is when Super Mario Odyssey hits shelves. If Nintendo plays their cards right and advertises the system and the games, this could make people buy a lot of product and somewhat compete with the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
A big problem with Nintendo is getting third party support. For now, it looks okay. A lot of companies are looking to test the waters with a game or two. Getting past the launch titles, some of the notables include Skyrim, Dragon Ball Z, and Sonic Mania. A lot of companies have been confirmed into making games for the Switch. It's just a matter of wondering if they come out and when. The first year of support for the Wii U had quite a bit of third parties, but by the end of 2013, it dwindled down very fast. Nintendo really needs to keep these companies and still give them a big reason to put their heavy hitters on their system.
One of the things that Nintendo has lagged at was online. The way they have been, they are trying to make up for lost time ever since they underestimated online back in the GameCube days. Now, they are going the Sony and Microsoft route of charging instead of it being free. Cost wise, it could potentially be around 17 to 26 dollars going by what the yen costs are going to be, but it will start the charging in the fall. That's not a bad price if that is what it's going to be throughout the world. Their online chat, on the other hand, requires a smartphone app, which is one of my issues regarding Nintendo. It seems like they move a step forward and then move two steps back. Without much information, it's hard to know if it's possible to do chat without a phone.
Then there is the free game with online. Nintendo hasn't really explained the reasoning, but similar to the Xbox systems, you get a game if you are using the paid online. Unfortunately, it's an NES or SNES game that is free for a month. I don't know if you can keep the game or you have to pay for it after a month, but if it's the latter, this could potentially fall flat on its face. I get that there is a wealth of games from the 80s and 90s that are loved, but it would have made more sense to look at the GameCube or Wii. Maybe even the Nintendo 64, but the way it is being done, this pales in comparison to what Microsoft does.
A big thing with the Switch is that it is a cartridge format. It should be obvious if anyone has played a 3DS or DS what the cart is going to look like. There's not much else Nintendo could have done. The memory size is still abysmal. Thirty two gigabytes is still not enough, and some will be forced to buy SD cards, especially if you are going digital. There is no backwards compatibility, which I don't see as a dealbreaker. It would be a nice option, but it won't be the end of the world.
My assessment on it before it launches is this. There is enough positives that will help the system sell. Nintendo is playing it smart with their releases. The big question will be how they market it and how often they will promote it. If it does well, they have to carry that momentum and give people more old and new franchises, provide some price cuts and put improvement into their online and show that they can still be a competitive company with a huge comeback. If it fails, who knows what will come next for Nintendo.
So overall, I would have a little optimism regarding the Switch, but I wouldn't be too scared of it once its library starts to pick up during the year. I somewhat expect this to do better than the GameCube and Wii U if things go well for it. Hopefully, Nintendo knows what works and what doesn't. There's a lot riding on what could be the last hurrah if things don't translate to success.
What Nintendo is trying to do is to combine the experience of playing on the go like people would with a 3DS, but also have the experience of playing it at home like any of their home consoles since 1983. Their aim is to focus on one system and one system only. The hope is for their to be no multiple versions of the same game like what happened to Super Smash Bros.. They seem to get the grasp somewhat on what needs to be done in order to succeed.
Regarding the Wii U, it was a big failure due to a lack of marketing, the name, pricing, and a bulky gamepad which contributed to the price, just to name a few of its mishaps. Nintendo seems like they understood the problems that plagued their predecessor and are trying to fix any damaged caused by it. I find the price to be a little high, but not a dealbreaker. Three hundred dollars is manageable. The controllers, named Joy-Con, looks to be something that will not add to the price. However, getting a set of two and a Pro Controller altogether is going to cost over a hundred dollars, which will hurt a little bit if you instantly want four player action.
You can't have a launch without having games. The lineup when Switch debuts is very small. Of course, the big one will be The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. It has been in development for a very long time and will also come out on the Wii U. Nintendo launched the Wii with Twilight Princess and it served as a strong launch game in 2006, so hopefully for the big N, they didn't anger a lot of their fanbase. That being said, the rest of their lineup as of now won't have as much of an impact like Zelda, but there is stuff that will keep some owners occupied. The next biggest franchises are Just Dance, which was still being made on the original Wii along with the newer consoles, and Skylanders, the toy based game that has been a seller since 2011. Other notable games include 1-2-Switch, Super Bomberman R, and I am Setsuna.
For the rest of 2017, Nintendo seems to understand to space the game releases over this first year to keep people interested in the Switch. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe comes out in April, but they hope its enough until Splatoon 2 releases in the summer. Then there is the Christmas season, which is when Super Mario Odyssey hits shelves. If Nintendo plays their cards right and advertises the system and the games, this could make people buy a lot of product and somewhat compete with the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
A big problem with Nintendo is getting third party support. For now, it looks okay. A lot of companies are looking to test the waters with a game or two. Getting past the launch titles, some of the notables include Skyrim, Dragon Ball Z, and Sonic Mania. A lot of companies have been confirmed into making games for the Switch. It's just a matter of wondering if they come out and when. The first year of support for the Wii U had quite a bit of third parties, but by the end of 2013, it dwindled down very fast. Nintendo really needs to keep these companies and still give them a big reason to put their heavy hitters on their system.
One of the things that Nintendo has lagged at was online. The way they have been, they are trying to make up for lost time ever since they underestimated online back in the GameCube days. Now, they are going the Sony and Microsoft route of charging instead of it being free. Cost wise, it could potentially be around 17 to 26 dollars going by what the yen costs are going to be, but it will start the charging in the fall. That's not a bad price if that is what it's going to be throughout the world. Their online chat, on the other hand, requires a smartphone app, which is one of my issues regarding Nintendo. It seems like they move a step forward and then move two steps back. Without much information, it's hard to know if it's possible to do chat without a phone.
Then there is the free game with online. Nintendo hasn't really explained the reasoning, but similar to the Xbox systems, you get a game if you are using the paid online. Unfortunately, it's an NES or SNES game that is free for a month. I don't know if you can keep the game or you have to pay for it after a month, but if it's the latter, this could potentially fall flat on its face. I get that there is a wealth of games from the 80s and 90s that are loved, but it would have made more sense to look at the GameCube or Wii. Maybe even the Nintendo 64, but the way it is being done, this pales in comparison to what Microsoft does.
A big thing with the Switch is that it is a cartridge format. It should be obvious if anyone has played a 3DS or DS what the cart is going to look like. There's not much else Nintendo could have done. The memory size is still abysmal. Thirty two gigabytes is still not enough, and some will be forced to buy SD cards, especially if you are going digital. There is no backwards compatibility, which I don't see as a dealbreaker. It would be a nice option, but it won't be the end of the world.
My assessment on it before it launches is this. There is enough positives that will help the system sell. Nintendo is playing it smart with their releases. The big question will be how they market it and how often they will promote it. If it does well, they have to carry that momentum and give people more old and new franchises, provide some price cuts and put improvement into their online and show that they can still be a competitive company with a huge comeback. If it fails, who knows what will come next for Nintendo.
So overall, I would have a little optimism regarding the Switch, but I wouldn't be too scared of it once its library starts to pick up during the year. I somewhat expect this to do better than the GameCube and Wii U if things go well for it. Hopefully, Nintendo knows what works and what doesn't. There's a lot riding on what could be the last hurrah if things don't translate to success.
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