Review: 3D Sonic the Hedgehog 2

The classic Sonic series continues to find new life in the third dimension. After achieving considerable success in bringing the original Sonic the Hedgehog to the 3DS, SEGA and M2 have finally ported its much-loved sequel to Nintendo’s handheld. Sonic 2 is a more ambitious title than the original in every sense of the word, and its remaster required more programming expertise from M2 than any other port that they’ve tackled. If this is indeed the studio’s final 3D remaster, it’s a pretty good one to go out on.

3D SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2
Available on: Nintendo 3DS
Price: $5.99

Like every other release in the 3D Classics series, the entire game features a new layer of adjustable 3D depth that literally make the graphics pop, but it doesn’t stop there; all of the extra features and upgrades from the 3DS release of the original Sonic the Hedgehog return as well. You can choose between playing the international edition or the original Japanese release. You can remap the controls in any way you like. You can have the 3D layers pop off the screen or recede into the display. You can filter the graphics to look like an old-school CRT TV. You can emulate music from the original Mega Drive or the Mega Drive 2.

But wait, there’s more – M2 has added lots of new features to the mix this time around. You can plow through the game from start to finish as usual, but the game’s level select screen is now available right on the main menu, so you can immediately jump into the zone you want to play. There’s also a new replay mode that lets you relive your most pulse-pounding runs, and the game’s revered multiplayer mode is along for the ride as well. These new upgrades amount to a more complete package compared to the 3D remastering of the original, so you’re getting even more bang for your buck here.

The 3D effect looks fantastic in zones with busy backgrounds, like Casino Night and Oil Ocean, though it’s harder to appreciate in more barren areas like Sky Chase. That said, I loved the updated special stage more than anything else; it’s a fantastic demonstration of the quality of M2’s 3D tech, and it’s a chaotic, joyous nightmare for my depth perception. If nothing else, this is the one part of the game that absolutely screams, “Make me 3D, please!”, and to see the beloved stage come to life in this way after all this time is kind of stunning. In addition, though the graphics look very sharp with the 3D effect on, turning it off makes everything noticeably less defined. For some reason, I didn’t pick up on this as much in the original Sonic‘s 3D remaster, but the disparity sticks out a bit nonetheless.

Strip away all the fancy trappings, though, and you’re still left with a nearly-pitch-perfect port of Sonic 2. It plays just as it does on any other platform, with the incredibly solid and precise control you can only get from a physical set of buttons and sticks. Interestingly, this remaster may have a unique glitch or two all its own; after shooting out of one of the launchers in Casino Night Zone, I remained stuck in ball mode for the rest of the act, which I can’t recall experiencing in any other version of the game. Issues like these are incredibly rare, though, and the core functionality of this port is as rock-solid as any other.

All things considered, the story of 3D Sonic the Hedgehog 2 almost exactly mirrors its predecessor’s. Its new features offer a fresh perspective on a game that’s well over twenty years old, and it serves up an experience unique enough to justify its existence. There are better, more definitive remasters of Sonic 2 – namely, Taxman and Stealth’s mobile port – but if you’re a fan of classic Sonic, you really can’t go wrong with this one.