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»Sonic Spinball
"Best GG Pinball game? Probably...but is that really saying much?"
It’s kind of weird to looking back at things from the past. Sonic Spinball for the Genesis has the distinct characteristic of being the only Sonic
game developed entirely in America as well as the only one to feature
characters from both cartoon shows at the time. Of course, it wasn’t
considered very popular by fans, at least when compared to the
traditional Sonic platformers. All things considered, it wasn’t
a bad game. In fact, it was probably one of the best pinball games on
the Genesis. Then again, I could probably count the number of pinball
games the Genesis had on one hand. The same could probably be said
about the Game Gear version. This isn’t so much a bad game, as a port
done wrong.
Dr. Robotnik has taken control of Mt. Mobius,
transforming it into a mechanical base. Utilizing energy produced from
the volcanic mountain’s magma, his new lair (oddly dubbed the
Veg-O-Fortress) is capable of transforming helpless animals into
Robotnik’s robot slaves at a rate never seen before. Sonic the Hedgehog
and Tails attempt to fly into the Veg-O-Fortress, but a blast knocks
Sonic off the bi-plane and sends him into the Veg-O-Fortress’s
subterranean levels. Of course, due to the volcanic nature of Mt.
Mobius, the base could be easily destroyed in a volcanic eruption.
Sonic quickly surmises that the only thing preventing an eruption is
the Chaos Emeralds, hidden throughout the various levels of the base.
Of course, Robotnik is prepared for Sonic’s arrival: he’s set up an
elaborate Pinball Defense System to thwart the blue-hued hedgehog at
any cost. Ah well, all things considered, I guess the storyline
could’ve been much, much worse.
So, there are basically four stages (or tables) in
all. In order to complete each table, players must navigate through
each table, collecting all of the Chaos Emeralds (three or five,
depending on the stage), which in turn allows Sonic to enter the boss
room, where they must propel Sonic into a giant boss several times
until it explodes. Sure, you may be saying it’s nothing more than a
basic pinball game, but there is at least one difference: this time,
players have some control over the ball. Yes, while the 1 and 2 buttons
control the flippers, the D-Pad allows for some minor control over
Sonic’s trajectory. Nothing really mind-blowing, but it helps. There
are also some portions where Sonic can be controlled in his standard
platforming style, but these are very short sections.
Needless to say, there are quite a few differences
in this version compared to the Genesis incarnation. First and
foremost, the Toxic Caves stage (now dubbed Toxic Pools) is a
completely different table. The bonus stages have also been changed,
changing from pinball-type stages into things similar to the bonus
stages found in the first two Sonic Game Gear games. Two of the boss
stages have also changed, placing them in separate rooms not unlike
those found in Kirby’s Pinball Land, even to the point where falling
out of the boss room resets the boss’s status, negating all damage
incurred. All in all, it isn’t exactly as good as the original, but
it’s still decent.
The graphics are okay, for a Game Gear game. I
mean, it’s obviously been downgraded from the Genesis version, but
everything’s still pretty clear. Sonic looks a bit odd though, not
quite on par with the model from any of the GG platformers. However,
considering that the Sonic in the Genesis’ Spinball looked
different too, so I guess that the look fits. Some of the other aspects
of the game (like the chicken robot enemies) are pretty much dead-on
conversions, but some effects leave me reeling. For example, in the
Genesis version, when Sonic obtains an Emerald, he leaps forward in
some triumphant pose. Meanwhile, in the Game Gear version, Sonic just
simply disappears. I mean, he could have just stayed on-screen, right?
The sound, on the other hand, is a bit
disappointing. Granted, the soundtrack from the Genesis game wasn’t
exactly classic, but it did have some good tunes (like the Toxic Caves
theme). The songs do make it into the Game Gear version, but they end
up losing whatever charm they may have had. In the cases of the songs
that weren’t good to begin with, the conversion makes them even more
annoying.
Finally, we come to the game’s replay. Eh, this
game starts out pretty fun, but eventually it just gets kind of
annoying. I mean, sure, there are four tables, but considering the fact
that there’s no password or anything, you’ll either have to use the
level select code to get to each stage, or just make your way through
the game again, unlike KPL (which had 3 stages from the start,
with a final unlockable table). So, if you want to own the best pinball
game on the Game Gear, go ahead and look up this one. If you want my
advice though, either stick with the Genesis version or if you just
want an old-school portable pinball game, grab Kirby’s Dream Land or Pokémon Pinball.
Article by: Wolfdogg
Posted on: Jul. 31st, 2007 |
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Review Recap |
| Gameplay |
| Eh, not bad for a standard pinball game. Some things feel a bit off though. |
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Graphics |
| A decent conversion from the Genesis game. |
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Sound |
| Eh, the music doesn’t really transfer well. Sound effects are decent, though. |
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Replay Value |
| Meh, it’s not bad, but the Genesis version was a lot better. |
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