User reviews

Sonic CD is the best sonic the hedgehog game of all time. as much as the console/add-on it was made for stank like 3 week old cheeseburger, but out from manure grows beautiful flowers.

In this game, we are introduced to Amy rose/princess sally, who is kidnapped by metal sonic. so sonic has to rescue her, and destroy something known as the death egg. along the way, sonic picks up time stones which send him back in time, back to when the zone was primitive, and the future stones, which take him to the future, whether it be a good future, or a future in which Robotnik/Eggman rules the zone.

This game is considered by screwattack.com to be the best sonic game of all time, and rightfully so. according to them, "Sonic CD takes everything you like about sonic 1 and 2, and gave them upgrades." and later on states "It's just like super paper Mario, but 15 years Earlier!"

So trust me, if you have a gamecube, a sega CD, or a PC, get a hold of this game. you'll be thanking me when you're done.

Sonic CD was the fifth sonic game i ever played and remains one of my favorites to this day. I was introduced to sonic through my first game Sonic Heroes which i immediately fell in love with the characters, story and gameplay.

One thing I absolutely LOVE about this game is time travelling, which as the name implies, Sonic can travel through time to the past, present, and the future! This is a definitely a super creative and clever concept. The amount of effort put into the detailing and visuals as well as the decoration to really put the prehistoric feel of the past, or the toxic wasteland of the bad future is really incredible. A fun and clever mechanic of having to destroy the robot generator to affect the future is well thought out and adds to the fun factor!

Another very well thought out and executed concept is Sonic's new move, the Super Peel Out! Which lets the player go at amazing speeds after charging it for a few seconds, with the animation being quite cool especially for a Sega CD game.

The level design in most stages is actually quite good and I love the speed sections and the cool up ramps in Palmtree Panic, the little traps and pipes as well as the layout of the somewhat unique and beautiful Tidal Tempest, or the awesome speedway feel to Stardust Speedway and the many loops and boosts!

Another neat thing I liked is that this was the first Sonic game to introduce a save feature, allowing the person playing to continue where they left off without having to restart from Act 1. My favorite Classic sonic game, and the best in my opinion, Sonic 2 lacks this and I'm glad this game has it.

The soundtrack of this game is definitely AMAZING and unforgettable for the JP/EU soundtrack and arguably the US soundtrack too. Both go for their own unique feel with the US taking a more atmospheric and rock-like style, with the Japanese one taking a really groovy funky 90's pop music feel.

The graphics are stunning and beautiful especially for Sega CD standards, and really add to the overall beauty of this game.

The plot of saving an entire planet, and freeing it from the clutches of the evil Dr. Eggman, and restoring the natural beauty while also having to save fangirl Amy Rose and face off against a robotic doppelganger, Metal Sonic is really creative and a unique plot! Probably one of the more detailed of the classic games.

And the intro and ending are just so good, the aesthetic and artstyle are simply fantastic and were produced by Toei animation, this artstyle ended up influencing stuff like the cutscenes in Sonic Mania or the fantastic OVA from 1999, which I love so much to where I bought the film on DVD.

Really the last thing I can name thats good before I go into the flaws of the game are the 2011 Christian Whitehead remaster's fixes and additions. Such as how the music loops properly in this version with the Japanese OST using the beta music loops that went unused in the initial Sega CD version which makes the soundtrack sound that much better, and you can switch the awkward spindash of the original game to the Sonic 2 one. This version also has Tons of Collision fixes.

I also love the new characters introduced here, Amy Rose and Metal Sonic.

Onto the negatives of this game, here we go

I genuinely hate this games spindash. The Spin Dash in this game is somewhat awkward to use: you have to hold down on the D-pad and hold the jump button until Sonic revs up properly and let go of the button, which can take a while as opposed to mashing the jump button and letting go of the D-pad to get Sonic to take off like in Sonic 2 and 3. Failing to do so will result in Sonic not taking off at incredible speed and just standing where he is, which is clunky and annoying.

The boss fights are simply lackluster and lack any real difficulty, especially the final boss which is pretty weak especially comparing it with the other games of this era. Most can simply be defeated in 4 hits no problem. The Metal Sonic race though is pretty challenging and iconic.

The collision detection in the original Sega CD version can be pretty wonky and make no sense at times, and can lead to glitches sometimes and deaths.

The Special Stages controls are really hard to understand at times, and they are pretty annoying... personally I dislike the backgrounds distracting colors and the fact of how hard it is to predict the UFOs movement patterns.

Some songs don't fit the stage and its future condition very well, such as the JP version of Palmtree Panics Bad Future or the US version of Metallic Madness' Good Future. They are good songs but don't fit the atmosphere.

Some of the level designs and gimmicks like the pinball fight in Collision chaos are executed poorly and are annoying, or Wacky Workbench and the bouncing. I also personally dont like the conveyor belts of Quartz Quadrant.

Overall, In conclusion I believe Sonic CD is a fun and great game that I highly recommend with a fresh mindset!

I just finished Sonic CD on Android. I have been a huge Sonic fan ever since I was four years old. I had been wanting to play this game for quite some time, but I have a migraine problem because of which I am unable to play mobile games which have a virtual gamepad. This time however, I was determined to try this for once and get over my pain to see what happens. I did manage to beat this game with a bad ending, and although my head hurt a lot, I am now proud to say that I have played every single classic Sonic game in existence.

This game is probably the only evidence that Sonic is faster than The Flash, as we need to build up speed if we have to travel to the past or future. It is a bit difficult though, since there are so many obstacles coming in your way when you are on higher levels. One thing I really find annoying in classic Sonic games is that the game wants us to run fast, and then punishes us for doing the same. The touchscreen of the phone was also very unresponsive and that caused me to lose unnecessarily more number of times than I'd be willing to admit.

Sonic CD is something of a case study for SEGA developers. It does not have any customisable characters, or even a lot of characters for that matter. It introduced two characters who have now become a major part of Sonic's lore. The cutscenes, the quality - everything about this game is perfect. If you're new to Sonic the Hedgehog, I'd recommend you to definitely try it once.

Sonic CD (1993) is basically an extremely advanced version of the first Sonic the Hedgehog (1991). Very original Sonic graphics with a twist, Catchy soundtrack, over 60 levels featuring time travel and exciting 3D special stages.

This game will blow your mind if you're a true Sonic fan. Truly amazing and spectacular. If you haven't played Sonic CD, you're really missing out.

I enjoyed this game very much from its original graphics, game-play, game art and music. It all tied together to create fun old-fashioned Sonic game-play that we enjoy. I recommend this game to anyone of any age.

I remember getting Sonic CD for my Computer when I was kid and enjoying it, the only problem was that my PC kept crashing while I was playing the game so I couldn't fully play the game. I still kept the game has a memento, years later I acquired Sonic Gems Collection for the Playstation 2 which contained Sonic CD. ( As well as Sonic the Fighters, Sonic R, a bunch of Game gear games, Vectorman and Vectorman 2.) Playing Sonic CD now I still think it's one of the best games in the Sonic series, it's got great music, a cool opening anime scene and ending, great levels, good boss fights and it introduces one of the most popular villains in the Sonic Francise: Metallix (Metal Sonic), Sonic CD also introduces another ally in Sonic's crew, Amy Rose.

The game play is easy to pick up especially for those that's played the other 2D Sonic games, a nice little addition to this Sonic game is the time travel feature since in every level there are poles that either say Past or Future. Running into one will allow you to warp through time but to do that you need to run really fast without stopping. Like the other Sonic games this one also has a bonus stage, in Sonic CD you need to destroy a certain amount of UFO's to collect the prize. In other Sonic games after completing a bonus stage you get Chaos Emerleds while in this one it's Time Stones.

Sonic CD is a great game that should be played. Check this out. 10/10

Sonic CD is a clear example of classic Sonic gaming. I mean, it was so good, it was even re-released in 2011! It also marks the first appearances of well known characters like Metal Sonic. It features classic game-play and it is easy to play if you are a beginner. If you're a Sonic fan, old or new, it is essential to have this title. Even the graphics themselves, although they are old compared to today's, are beautiful and a technological achievement for 1993. The game even looks polished today and provides a good retro service. The music is very catchy. I recommend the Japanese/European track but the American one is good too. The only possibly bad thing about this game is that sometimes, especially in the special stages, it is quite hard. But other than that, Sonic CD is a great game and is an essential title for any Sonic fan.

For some reason, In recent Years in the Fanbase of Sonic, Sonic CD with has been Becoming Less liked, despite it being highly praised initially by fans, critics, and a lot of people loved it. Magazines such as Electronic Gaming Monthly's March 2001 issue stated it to be one of the best games in the 2D franchise, as a lot of love was given to it by fans and even received a 100% by some critics in magazines in the original version, which at the time was the HIGHEST rating for sonic games, even higher than the other ones. Honestly I'd say although this is not the best from the franchise, it is certainyl among the ranks of Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (1992, Sega Genesis). And improves upon a lot from Sonic The Hedgehog (1991, Genesis)

First I Suppose I Shall start off with The storyline The games story is very well written and pieced together, It is perhaps one of the best storylines of the initial games!

The game revolves around Sonic traveling to Little Planet for a vacation when he sees it has been chained to Never Lake with a metallic shell around it. Dr Robotnik is trying to take over the planet and Sonic is followed by star-struck fan Amy Rose who gets kidnapped by Metal Sonic. Sonic must now save the planet and Amy. With the time travel mechanic, the game is able to have different layouts of each zone, with the past having a natural somewhat pre-historic feel and look to it, and the futures can show a robotic nightmarish neglected dystopia ruled by Eggman, or a beautiful place where technology aids nature which can be seen as a deeper message to helping the environment, with the graphics taking advantage of the Sega CD's capabilities.

Another thing I would like to discuss in this review is the incredible graphics of the game, The graphics are quite beautiful for a game from the early 90's, Sonic CD was released on the Sega CD which is a less known console but this allowed it to go above and beyond with the graphics.

The stages each have incredible detail to their backgrounds as well as objects and badnik designs. A good example of the backgrounds is in Stardust Speedway.

In the Present one can see a beautiful starry sky with the ground below covered in sparkling colors of stardust, in the good future one can see amusement parks and a city sparkling in bright colors and in the Bad Future it's storming and a huge city that is well detailed and beautiful to look at. The game uses these different time periods to point out how the zones and Little Planet as a whole will look under a good future scenario, where Dr. Ivo Robotnik fails to take over the zone due to the player either destroying a robot generator or gaining the 7 Time Stones in the Special Stages.

The soundtrack is another reason this game manages to gain 9 stars from me, it fits the levels perfectly for the most part, and sounds like something you'd expect in a sonic game. Both the US and JP/EU soundtracks have their own good tracks, a lot of them manage to fit the levels. Tidal Tempest, Palmtree Panic, Stardust Speedway, and even Wacky Workbench all sound amazing in both soundtracks and fit the levels well. This game has some of the best quality when it comes to how the songs sound and the OST in general of the classic series games, around on par I'd say with Sonic 3 & Knuckles! An Interesting Thing I Find about the Soundtrack is How The JP/EU one Is heavily inspired by the New Jack Swing genre, and house music with the US one being more rock themed and in tone with the atmosphere of the levels.

The level design in this game is actually genius and well done for the most part, the reason some stages are bad could be due to the fact that it was in development at the same time as Sonic The Hedgehog 2, And the teams were split one in Japan to work on CD and one in the US to work on Sonic 2. Palmtree Panic has a bunch of speed sections to where you can go fast (if you wanted to), tons to explore and lots of interaction and honestly just because the game requires exploring to find past and future signs to time travel does not make it a bad game by any means, in all honesty.

Stardust speedway is also a really good level design, obstacles here and there, some popping out of the ground with robots and speed sections, to requiring the player to not just simply hold right but to learn the layout and use cannons to get to certain parts to reach the end (like the mini maze in zone 2).

Tidal tempest is also surprisingly good when it comes to level design as well as obstacles that can kill you and pose a threat whether it be spikes, the dragon totem things that shoot blue fire that pushes you down which in certain scenarios can lead to getting crushed if not timed right (like the sections with the boxes i mean) which leads to a challenge, there are crushers, spikes, spike pits, a decent amount of enemies in each level, And more can be gotten out of the game if one puts the effort in to time travel.

And they also have speedy areas of which the player can go fast if they so choose similar to sonic 1 and the others. The goal posts at the end is basically telling the game "Im done with this stage", you have to time travel to create a good future requiring the player to put effort into doing so, exploring for the robot generator, to enter these you have to maintain sonics speed after hitting a sign post, this multi step process of travelling to the past, finding the robot generator, and exiting takes advantage of the games level design which forces the player to interact with elements.

The first step requires an understanding and skillful execution of the games mechanics. Reaching the required velocity is the hard part which poses a challenge, having to scout out the level for areas that have access to fluid movement, some are easy like two springs facing each other, others requiring the player to search around the zone and do an obstacle course (sort of going against the claims levels are too easy with no effort required to beat, unless you decide to skip everything and just stay in the present, holding right and jumping a few times) and avoiding obstacles like other sonic games. The stages were designed cleverly to both have a little challenge if you're trying to play it like how one would play sonic 1, while having maximum use and effect with a little challenge if you play it the way its meant to be played (time travelling) as you can see through how the stage loops together. Tons of spring based platforming, loops upon loops, messing with conveyor belts, and levels that take a couple minutes to reach the goal if played by putting effort in, make you learn the intricacies of the individual stage to the point you'll even learn the maps by the end of the game! If you play it just simply as you would the other classic games it isn't much a super fun way to play, you're running past genius level concepts, loop-de-loops, obstacles, and never take the time to breathe in any of the fresh new experimental concepts and interesting gameplay.

Sure the game doesn't really tell you the best way to play it, but you can get hints by finding the past and future signposts or reading the manual. Though I will say levels such as Collision Chaos, Wacky Workbench, and Metallic madness are horribly done. Metallic madness gets repetitive in each zone, and extends too long especially in the second zone. The enemies are a bit of a joke, Wacky Workbench is a good concept but is executed poorly with the bounce mechanic being very annoying and over the top.

And Collision Chaos has a hard boss fight somewhat on your first few attempts, although not in the good way it's just annoying.

The variation in levels and zones are done VERY well. This game changes up the layouts of the map, object locations, platforming, and badniks in each zone.

Some zones it can be easy to time travel, while others being hard to do so requiring the player to put effort into beating the game with the good ending, you are the one in charge of the future of THE PLANET. Each zone has different variations in the Past, and Good Future, and Bad Future. How you play in the past affects the future either resulting in a toxic environment, more obstacles sometimes than in the past or present when you get a bad future, and the Good Future having beautiful colors, and a lot of detail and care is put into each zone. They are very fun to play in, with tons to interact with when you put in the effort to time travel. You can even get a little enjoyment out of skipping time travel and just exploring and beating the Present of the stages.

The boss fights in Sonic CD in all honesty however are a huge issue. The first zones boss (Palmtree Panic) is so easy to the point it's a joke for the most part. All you need to do is jump into Robotnik when he holds still after barely stepping towards you, and doing no attacks. Collision Chaos' provides a tiny bit of a challenge but is very annoying and poorly executed. Wacky Workbenches and even the FINAL BOSS don't require much effort to beat either, with almost no danger. In fact, the danger in the final boss mainly comes to Metallic Madness zone 3 having the only bottomless pit in the game.

The only truly challenging boss fight in my opinion is the Metal Sonic race in Stardust Speedway. Metal Sonic's moveset rivals sonics and he can blast into you, making you fall behind and sometimes hit Robotnik's laser beam and having an instant death, he can electrocute you if you're behind him, and his speed can rival Sonic's easily. This boss fight takes a few attempts usually, and the spikes can stop you dead in your tracks leaving you vulnerable.

I dare say Sonic CD's special stages are a big issues as well, It takes forever to turn, and Sonic's controls being wonky and hard to understand. The water takes away too much time from your timer, and the UFO's paths are too hard to predict most of the time leading to you messing up.

Overall, Sonic CD is a great game but with some flaws and issues.

This game is heavily protected by the nostalgic wool that is put over people's eyes when you talk to someone about this game. Some may lead you to believe that this is an elite game that is on the level of the other 3 original Sonics. That would be a lie.

You see Sonic CD is a lacklustre, seemingly rushed Sonic game that was made right around the golden era of Sonic. This game struggles from the fact that it fails at doing what the other sonic games are amazing at. Level design is boring and time travel mechanic is good on paper but executed poorly.

Something good about the game is that it's an old fashioned Sonic at the end of the day which you can't really mess up that bad where it's under a 6. It's still a solid game that's stands on its own finely. It's just a C tier SEGA game that you'll only play on a rare occasion where you want to play an average Sonic game that rarely has anything truly interesting about it to make it stand out (besides the animations which are amazing in all fairness)

Playing Sonic CD on the iPad recalls the glory years of the Genesis releases; four great games that were effectively simple, yet complex to master. While this game may be unfairly segregated for originating on the ill-fated Sega CD, it is rightfully a part of the blue hedgehog's early legacy.

Animated cut scenes detail the opening and endings of the game (which differs based on whether Sonic collects the seven 'time stones'), which sets CD apart from others of its ilk. There is such a diverse palette here that each new area offers something new, yet all the Sonic staples - springs, spikes, item monitors - remain accounted for. Controls are replicated simply on the iPad via a D-Pad and Jump button on the bottom of your screen; these respond well, even to sloppy contact, and they never get in the way of the action (though there may be a small learning curve for those accustomed to a classic controller).

A charming blend of visuals from the original classic and gameplay advances from the sequel, CD's development history is surrounded by speculation and Sega's own corporate affairs at the time. What is noteworthy about CD now, in 2011, is that despite being an early entry in the franchise it features a gameplay mechanic that perhaps remains the series' most innovative. Utilising time travel, Sonic can move back and forth between past, present and future within each level and change the course of time. This results in differences that alter the challenge, for example increasing difficulty in a 'bad future' where neglected machinery presents a greater threat. This introduces the player to numerous variations on each and every zone, adding a tremendous amount of replay value. The boss battles are amongst the most memorable of the side-scrollers; there's a good reason why the climax of the penultimate level, a nerve-wracking race over slopes and spikes against Sonic's own doppleganger, was recreated in the recent 'Sonic Generations'.

Having been re-released across multiple platforms by a Sega promoting the game's events as a prequel to 'Sonic the Hedgehog 4', there is no excuse not to have played this terrific entry in Sega's flagship property.

9/10

Sonic CD has a great concept and can work in a 2D Sonic game, in terms of execution it's mixed. Sonic CD has a time traveling mechanic, where you find these signs that say future or past and if you go fast enough, you'll go into the future or past. Now that is a good concept, but it could've been executed better if the level design was better. The levels in the game are not designed for a speedy platformer, it's designed for Mario games, there's obstacles throughout the entire the level that stops you from going fast. The concept would've worked better in sonic 2. The bosses are just like all the bosses in the classic games, bland and boring. The past version of the zones are beautiful I love them, but the future versions are just disgusting to look at, they look like regular zones mixed with a bag of crap. The American version of the soundtrack is ok, but the japanese version of the soundtrack is extremely better. Sonic CD has some cool levels to introduce like stardust speedway, the atmosphere is pretty cool to look at, plus the level design becomes more tolerable once you progress throughout the game more. The time stones are not worth collecting in the game, all you get is a different cutscene at the end. Conclusion: Sonic CD has a lot to like, it has a really cool concept, but in terms of execution, the game is just another version of sonic 1 but with a time travel mechanic, but it is still a fun time playing.

"SONIC CD" (1993). I didn't get to play this until the "SONIC GEMS COLLECTION" (2005) was released and I didn't like it. The spindash was not as good as the Mega Drive games, I couldn't get to grips with the special stages and I had no idea about the time travel element (consequently it just annoyed me). I gave it a bad review and 6/10 on the grounds of what I just described.

My experience with the mobile version was just as bad (although I did play it enough to get to the end) because I hate Mobile games.

Then I wondered whether it would be worth playing the original game and when I did it finally made sense to me. It's a vibrant, beautiful, highly detailed game that I can't recommend enough. Honestly it's still my least favourite classic Sonic game but considering how much I love them that doesn't make it bad.

Behold the "awesome" power of the Mega CD!

Sonic CD is regarded as the best game for Sega's disastrous early 90s system. Personally, I think the best Mega CD game was...um...there were none. The console was an enormous flop which hurt Sega badly. But if Sonic CD is supposed to represent the system at the apex of it's powers then just how bad were the truly bad games?

I'll answer that question in another review if I ever get to play them. But for the moment I'll focus on the abyss of disappointment that is Sonic CD.

Development began in 1992 before the release of Sonic 2, thus the general appearance and level design is very close to that of the original Sonic, which dates the game badly for those of you who are more used to the polished, slicker, quicker feel of the sequels. Sometimes you'll go slow you'll begin to wonder why it wasn't called Chronic CD.

The levels themselves (useless time-travel feature aside) and boring and unengaging, You just breeze through them with little effort and no admiration. There's nothing that stands out and nothing truly define each level with it's own personality or style. The boss battles are also so easy a blind gamer could do it no sweat. And don't even get me started on those awful, awful Special Stages.

Why this is regarded as being the Mega CD's "must have" is beyond my understanding and I'm a man of noble intelligence. For a system that charged the consumer £350 ($470) you'd expect to have your mind blown by the content, but Sonic CD rates even lower that Sonic 1.

Still, at least the music is pleasant.

Graphics D Sound B Gameplay D Lasting Appeal F

This PC CD-ROM and Sega CD game is graphically like the Sega Genesis games, but it has an awesome CD soundtrack with "new fangled" music. If you're looking for a revolutionary Sonic game, try this (it's included with Sonic Gems Collection for GameCube). It was sorely overlooked. Your new enemy is Metal Sonic, as well as Dr. Robotnik/Eggman. The underwater-type zone is still there. It's called Tidal Tempest. One of the boss levels (in the Collison Chaos zone) is reminiscent of Sonic Spinball. The PC version doesn't work with any OS over Windows 98. But if your old junker still has got that, give this one a try. It's really worth it.

I think this is a good game, it's slightly better than Sonic 1, the pacing is better, I like Sonic being able to peel out, I definitely like the soundtrack and the music slaps hard in the Japanese soundtrack, I especially like Stardust speedway (though I think Palmtree panic or Collision chaos are better), the problems with this game are in the special stages I should've hit a UFO but then it's like it goes right through Sonic and not to mention his turn speed is slow, and when you go into the water, the timer drains quickly, really? And I despise wacky workbench, too much bouncing but over all Solid game!

The time travel mechanic is perfect but i rarely used it metal sonic chefs kiss. Amy is better in this game than amy now. Avengers endgame got nothing on sonic cd so it is the Hidden Jim of the sonic series.

I honestly liked CD more than Sonic 2 because Sonic CD is literally so addictive. It is a joy to sit through this game

I get it why some people don't like it, It's not fast paced like every other Sonic game and its much more difficult to win than most games, not just Sonic ones but it's what makes it so much more fun. Because most Sonic games can be completed if you have basic gaming experience but this requires actual skill and it is focused on exploration, you have to go back in time+ find the machines and destroy them which isn't usually expected coming from a Sonic game but after you find all those machines, this game clicks right away because of its difficulty, exploration and it instantly becomes the most addictive thing in the world.

All zones except maybe Workbench are an instant pop, they're so fun to play. Amy and Mecha sonic are excellent additions, and that race with Mecha sonic is way too fun to be good

The soundtrack absolutely slaps. Never thought this good of a soundtrack will come from a game but its an instant slap anyways {Im talking about the Japanese version} plus the sound of the zone/timeline actually fits perfectly.

I have so many praises for this masterpiece. The only problem I have is the special stage but its still fun sometimes

9/10 deserved.

Sonic the Hedgehog is one of the most famous video games of all time! The characters, the jumping, the power-ups, and the sure thrill of adventure makes this entire series a fun non-stop playing time! Below is a brief look how I think the game is!

Game Play: The game play is very good. There is really basic controls here and is easy to perform. Novice gamers should have a good time here!

Graphics: The graphics are wonderful. The backgrounds are really beautiful!

Difficulty: The game is easy but as it goes on you''s find out that it will become more difficult!

Music: The music is great! Just fantastic catchy tunes through out the game! In My opinion its some of the best music ever in a video game!

Sound: The sound is great. Nuff said!

Overall: I have always loved Sonic the Hedgehog! If you like excellent adventure games then I strongly recommend you play this game!

To purchase this video game check out Amazon.com!