You are right, they should have taking out the distinguishing gameplay mechanics. Crazy for them to require the players to get familiar with stage layout, and master the move set to play at a high level. If they were smart, they would have added some accessibility settings so the game just plays it self while you watch sonic fly through the stages.
Makes sense why games have become so watered down, nobody wants to sink their teeth into anything. I want to know how these people play racing games, heaven forbid they don't get 1st on the initial playthrough.
This 100%. Sonic games are bad and have always been.
No, they should have designed levels that feature obstacles that you can see no matter how fast you run.
stop making threads you need to finish your battlepass so you can fill your empty life with more skinsWhat am I missing here? I get the sense I need to study each level to complete them without the constant frustration of bumping into things.
It's like the game is fighting itself. It's fun to run fast, but you can't judge the platforms and obstacles when you do.
I get that when it came out it looked and sounded fantastic, and hitting the loops and such at full speed is great. But how do you play these games without thick nostalgia goggles?
So far Sonic fans are going after me with "you are playing it wrong" or "you suck at games" or "you are a casual that can't play old games".
nah sonic was the cooler version of mario i recently replayed all the 2d sanics in 1 go they still hold up imo.
I can only agree, Sonic always sucked anything other is nostalgia.
There you go, OP. Here's your answer. You first need to finish the game several times and memorize every level layout and only then can you properly enjoy the game as it was intended. Y'know, like all good games!
Yeah, i tend to agree with you OP, i also don't like how you end up skipping most of the level going super fast and on rails, you move past so much stuff that you don't get to explore and see (unless you replay of course). I always was intrigued by the Sonic praise really, i just cant seem to gel with it. Maybe i should give it another spin now that i got a CRT monitor, should look super crisp in motion at least!
. You don't need to understand game design to play Sonic. You don't need to listen to the marketing or anything like that. The game never tells you to go fast or slow or anything. Just don't hit enemies until you die. It's not that hard. 
Playing a game is about the journey, not the destination. This is obviously hyperbole but in the case it is a real concern, and you only enjoy games that provide no friction at all to Master, then might I suggest giving Mario Odyssey Assist mode a try. It won't let you die, and it will even give you a handy arrow pointing you were to go. That way, you don't even have to make a decision on which route to take.
Obviously using the term "It's about the journey, not the destination" doesn't apply here at all, since you need to actually finish the game and memorize all of it before you get to "enjoy it" the way it was intended. I can't even begin to imagine what incredible leap of logic you had to make to go from "You should be able to enjoy the game as intended on a regular, first playthrough" to "You should play Mario Odyssyey" assist mode, but strangely it's not even the worst defense I've seen of Classic Sonic's incredibly bad design.
Well the leap was easy to make. I talked about how level layout memorization was required for " high level play". You then respond by stateing you have to memorize a sonic game to enjoy it. 1+1=2 You obviously equate fun with high level play. If you must be crushing the game to have fun I made the suggestion to play a game that allows you to crush it on your first playthrough.
The fact that many players, myself included, had no such problems playing Sonic Mania at launch shows this is bullshit.
The issue here is that you use the term "High level play" incorrectly. What you call "High level play" is actually just the intended way Sonic was supposed to be played and the way he was advertised. His move set is specifically designed to be played at high speeds. You can't play Sonic the way he was supposed to be played until you've beaten the game several times and memorized every level layout so that you know what's coming ahead. It's terrible design.
The reason you don't have those problems playing Sonic Mania at Launch is because Sonic Mania has vastly better level design than the classic games. It takes inspiration from older levels, but fixes them in such a way that you can play Sonic properly without having to memorize the levels first.
No one in good faith think that the design is so drastically different to have so disparagingly opinions.
The game never tells you to play a certain way. The only thing the game tells you, through it's design, is that you can't get hit with zero rings. That's it. There's a time limit but it's so generous that most people won't even realize that until halfway through the game. You don't need to have marketing influence your gameplay lol. When the game came out the kids just played it and honestly it's not that difficult to beat a level however you want to.
Imagine approaching a video game in different ways depending on skill level and player agency, I know hard to grasp these days.
Er, No. The level design in Sonic Mania is vastly better optimized than any of the classic games. It does a much better job of keeping the player going at a good place with better enemy and trap placement.
Sterling considers Sonic 4 the good one that was released in recent memory, the one that the series should build upon, the one that's made on a budget with shoddy physics. All articles the blogger writes is to generate clickbait.
You're just wrong. Sprawling levels with multiple routes and secrets. They aren't made to just run through as fast as you can. The ability to blast through the levels is earned through exploration. Some are more linear than others, but to suggest that the way you are aupposed to play it is by solely going from point A to point B is disingenuous or coming from a place of ignorance.
That's because just like any game, it's more than the sum of its individual parts. These statements aren't mutually exclusive.
Which is exactly my point. They aren't made to just run through as fast as you can, but Sonic's moveset is designed entirely around that. It plays like an exploration platformer with the controls of a racecar. The design of the character and the level design are at odds with each other.
