Difference between revisions of "Sonic the Hedgehog 2"

Revision as of 22:03, 18 February 2013

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Version differences

As with all the 16-bit Sonic games, the PAL version runs 17% slower than the NTSC version. However, the in-game timer is slowed down by the same amount, so identical times are possible in both versions. PAL players may have a slight advantage due to the slowdown aiding players' reactions, but in general players in all regions can compete equally.

Since the Mega Drive/Genesis version, Sonic 2 has since been re-released several times:

• Sonic Compilation (1995, Sega Mega Drive, Europe) and Sonic Classics 3-in-1 (1997, Sega Genesis, North America)
• Sonic Jam (1997, Sega Saturn)
• Sonic Mega Collection (2002, Nintendo GameCube)
• Sonic Mega Collection Plus (2004, PlayStation 2 and Microsoft Xbox)
• Wii Virtual Console (2007, Nintendo Wii)

Any of these versions are direct ports of the original game, and are therefore acceptable for competition.

Sonic Jam

This is the one re-release with a special case. Sonic Jam includes three different modes of playing the game: Normal, Easy and Original. The Normal and Easy settings make small changes to the levels, such as additional rings (particularly noticable in the Death Egg Zone, which originally featured no rings). It also features a Time Attack mode, which tracks times, but uses the same altered level layouts as the Normal difficulty. Players using Sonic Jam should therefore use the Original setting; identical to the original release of the game.

Terminology and tactics

Frame

1/60th of a second, the smallest unit of game time.

Frame window

the amount of these units you have to execute a particular action. A "frame-perfect" action has a window of just one frame, for instance.

Spindashing

Each additional button press in a spindash gets you more speed, up to a maximum of six. Sometimes having a specific amount of taps gives you the right speed to get through a certain area quickly or easily.

Universal timer

There's two different timing properties of moving objects in this game. The universal timer is where an object starts moving the instant you start the level, and will therefore be in a certain position at a certain time, every time.

Camera timer

The other kind is this one, which only starts moving once it's brought onto the screen (or near the screen - when the object is first rendered, in any case). Knowing which objects have which timing properties is important to good times when you have to deal with them.

Ramp jump

Sonic's jump speed and height are dependent on both your speed going into the jump and the slope of the ground you jump off. Running up a slope causes your jump to become much higher, while running down a slope will make you jump quite flat to the ground, gaining speed. This applies even if the slope is very small.

Loop jump

Similar concept, but inside a loop. If you're moving through the loop from left to right, a loop jump is from the top-left to the bottom-left. It's kinda finicky because if you land at different angles you get different speeds, but in the best case it is faster, and it's also a very convenient way to switch from rolling to running.

Path switcher

This is an invisible item in the game that allows the levels to work as structured. There are three different levels of background/foreground and Sonic is always in one of them at any one time, and these items seamlessly switch Sonic from background to foreground and vice versa. This is especially necessary for things like loops to work, because if you didn't have them they would just be solid all the time and you wouldn't be able to enter it. Knowing where these are and how they work is key to some tricks in this game.

Speed cap

Oddly for a game designed and marketed around speed, there are certain situations where the game will actually limit your speed. If you hold the direction you're moving while you're in the air, and you're above the speed cap, the game will knock your speed back to the speed cap. This can be circumvented just by not pressing right, but there are certain situations where the speed cap is actually beneficial, too. This is specific to Sonic/Tails play: if you play as Knuckles, the speed cap is removed.

Superglide

As Knuckles, simply jump on an object (an enemy or an item box) and glide just before you hit it. This causes you to translate your falling speed upwards, and since you're gliding you have a much lower rate of acceleration towards the ground. In layman's terms, you end up a lot higher than a standard jump.

Zip

A zip occurs when Sonic is stuck in a wall somehow and presses left or right. Since collision detection is designed to stop you from going into a wall in the first place, pushing left against a wall makes the game push you back to the right so you aren't embedded in it. As a result, when you're already inside a wall holding left or right causes you to travel in the opposite direction much faster than you can attain by normal play.

Level wrap

This is what happens when a zip causes you to bypass the left edge of the screen. The game treats your X-coordinate in memory as a number less than 0 - but position coordinates are unsigned, so instead of a negative number it's a VERY large positive one - which correlates to the end of the stage. This requires some very specific circumstances depending on the level, but it can be used to skip Metropolis 2, as well as Metropolis 3 if playing as Sonic and Tails.

Screen wrap

Similar concept, but using Y-coordinates instead. If you can move off the top of the screen, the game thinks you're all the way at the bottom. This only works in certain levels which wrap around themselves infinitely - which in Sonic 2, is the three Metropolis stages only.

More detailed information

TASvideos has a much more in-depth analysis, mostly dealing with the way the engine works. It can be found at http://tasvideos.org/GameResources/Genesis/SonicTheHedgehog.html (this covers all three games in the classic series).

Level Strategies

Emerald Hill Zone Act 1

Emerald Hill Zone Act 2

Chemical Plant Zone Act 1

Chemical Plant Zone Act 2

Aquatic Ruin Zone Act 1

Aquatic Ruin Zone Act 2

Casino Night Zone Act 1

Casino Night Zone Act 2

Hill Top Zone Act 1

To start, do a one-tap spindash and quickly jump over the small ramp, then drop onto the platform below. Do a full spindash off this platform, then ramp jump over the lava pit. Land on the left side of the seesaw with another jump, then jump up to the next platform without waiting for the red ball to fall. Jump over the rock, then over the spikes and lava pit. Spindash before going down the tube.

As you emerge, begin holding left as you go off the ramp here. Your aim is to go in between the two platforms, with enough height to hit the one on the right.

• As Knuckles, jump at the bottom of the ramp to gain height, glide to the wall at the right and climb up.

From here, jump to land on the platform in the middle of the lava pit, and again to get out. Let the two seesaws take you upwards, then hit the spring and land on the blue platform. Before this platform reaches the end of it's run, you need to drop into the lava and take a hit. Then stand where the platform is about to fall.

The platform just took you with it! Now hold left a little, and due to a quirk in the game's collision handling, you'll be flung to the right. You'll end up near the red springs at the bottom of the level. Spring up to the next platform and you go into the earthquake area.

• As Knuckles, this section is entirely different. Stop and spindash after jumping out of the lava pit, and jump while rolling on the steepest part of the ground (the margin for error on this jump is very small). The jump should take you up to the second seesaw, which you should glide onto. Charge up a full spindash while waiting, then as the seesaw sends you upwards, land on the 10 ring box, release the spindash, jump immediately and glide at the peak of your jump. Land on the left edge of the loop (the thin, flat section) and spindash, then jump almost immediately after releasing. You want to jump off the very small ramp, up to the top of the wall on the right. At the right height, you will simply run through the top of the wall and fall down to the earthquake area.

Wait for the path to open up just enough for you, then bounce on the rock, up to the next platform, quickly stop and spindash. You'll hit the lava, but this isn't bad. Quickly charge another spindash and get out before the lava blocks you from escaping and, likely, kills you. Now enter the tube, and let the ramp shoot you upwards, on top of a loop. Stand next to the 10 ring box, spindash off and finish.

Hill Top Zone Act 2

Mystic Cave Zone Act 1

Mystic Cave Zone Act 2

Oil Ocean Zone Act 1

Oil Ocean Zone Act 2

Metropolis Zone Act 1

Metropolis Zone Act 2

Metropolis Zone Act 3

Sky Chase Zone

Make sure you're on the right side of the screen as the clock ticks over to 2:06.

• In a 100% make sure you get 50 rings to transform into Super Sonic because he can get off the screen fast enough for a 2:05.

Wing Fortress Zone

Death Egg Zone

External Links

• The Sonic Center
  • Sonic the Hedgehog 2 rankings
  • Sonic the Hedgehog 2 record times
  • Sonic the Hedgehog 2 guides
  • Sonic the Hedgehog 2 videos
  • Sonic the Hedgehog 2 level maps