• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Sonic CD (Retro Engine) |OT| Where We're Going, We Don't Need Backbone

Lopson

Neo Member
Did anyone try the android version on the HP Touchpad?

That's my only android device, if it works ok I'll buy it on android too.

I think there was another gaffer in this thread with that exact same device. If I remember correctly, he said it worked flawlessly. I'd search this thread, if I were you.
 
played the demo and loved it. will pick it up soon.

Its crisp, controls great and had meaning full additions that couldn't have happened with a normal backbone "port"


AND if you pick US sound track you get sonic boom!!!


shame the rest of the US music kind of sucks. US into + JP game music would be perfect.


oh and Sega should get this guy to remake all the old sonic games in this engine and then use those versions as the versions they release on future platforms.

This version is so much better then those backbone ROM dumbs and really they should put the effert in... at least for the sonic games that will get rereleased on EVERYTHING for the next 50 years.
 

Eric C

Member
I think there was another gaffer in this thread with that exact same device. If I remember correctly, he said it worked flawlessly. I'd search this thread, if I were you.

Hmm... I just searched through this thread and I didn't see it. I'll look again.

Though, I did find this in the HP Touchpad thread.

Does Sonic CD work from the android market? about to buy it but I wanna be sure

So I'm not the only one wondering if it works on the HP Touchpad.
 

btkadams

Member
what are the chances that sega would update the PSN/XBL/iOS versions of the other sonic games with this engine for free? i just think it would be dumb if they re-released them and called them Sonic the Hedgehog 2 HD. this one isn't called HD and i hate shit that isn't consistent!
 

iavi

Member
what are the chances that sega would update the PSN/XBL/iOS versions of the other sonic games with this engine for free? i just think it would be dumb if they re-released them and called them Sonic the Hedgehog 2 HD. this one isn't called HD and i hate shit that isn't consistent!

Absolutely none. They're getting better, but they're not that good.
 
Further updates into my Android misadventures with this game: It downloaded 4/8 files and suddenly stopped at 100% of that. Now I have to do the whole process again, which took like 6 hours to begin with. What the hell is going on? No way can their servers be THIS bad.
 
Traveling to a good future within act 1 and 2 still isn't a reward as the enemies are removed from all timezones the moment you destroy the generator in the past, at least it seemed that way in palmtree panic, in which case i'd just rather finish the stage than go through two future warps.

Just destroying the generator doesn't eliminate everything from the past and present. Destroying the generator + Metal Sonic hologram kind of does, but even then, there can be a few enemies left over.

But Good Futures are 100% devoid of any enemies. Just rings, power-ups and the occasional bed of spikes/bottomless pit.
 
Just destroying the generator doesn't eliminate everything from the past and present. Destroying the generator + Metal Sonic hologram kind of does, but even then, there can be a few enemies left over.

But Good Futures are 100% devoid of any enemies. Just rings, power-ups and the occasional bed of spikes/bottomless pit.

This begs the question of how spikes get in these sonic stages in the first place, i'd always assumed they were (egg)man made traps but since they remain in a good future clearly they are a natural hazard.
 
I just played Palmtree Panic U.S. version and the music between past and present matches fine.

I'm not one for soundtrack warz but...all the music from the Past is derived straight from the original Present theme. The CD audio of the US version isn't related and sadly the past themes weren't replaced.

Here's a crude example of a 5-10 second motif present in Palmtree Panic Zone.

Palmtree Panic Past

JP Palmtree Panic Present
JP Palmtree Panic Bad Future
JP Palmtree Panic Good Future

If you familiarise yourself with the JP soundtrack you can hear the main melody, various motifs and samples throughout all time periods in a zone. It's fantastic. The US soundtrack thematically, doesn't fit with the past.
 

Christopher

Member
The US soundtrack is a lot better I tried with both the Japanese and US and perhaps I grew up on the US but I think that it just fits the theme better.
 
The US soundtrack is a lot better I tried with both the Japanese and US and perhaps I grew up on the US but I think that it just fits the theme better.

I agree. It's not that I think that the JP tracks are bad, I just don't think they fit. The opening themes, and Stardust Speedway are the best examples, I'd say.
 

clav

Member
I'm not one for soundtrack warz but...all the music from the Past is derived straight from the original Present theme. The CD audio of the US version isn't related and sadly the past themes weren't replaced.

Here's a crude example of a 5-10 second motif present in Palmtree Panic Zone.

Palmtree Panic Past

JP Palmtree Panic Present
JP Palmtree Panic Bad Future
JP Palmtree Panic Good Future

If you familiarise yourself with the JP soundtrack you can hear the main melody, various motifs and samples throughout all time periods in a zone. It's fantastic. The US soundtrack thematically, doesn't fit with the past.
The original soundtrack is a work of art.

When you hear the bad future, you know you done goofed.
When you hear the good future themes, feelsgoodman.jpg

Most of the US tracks seem like they fit under a bad future theme, which is why people rave tracks like Stardust Speedway.

In the end though, this game was made in an era when video games were still considered for kids. This arguments of what soundtrack is better can be easily applied to the arguments about kids anime introduced in America around the same time.
 

Dark Schala

Eloquent Princess
Since there's no sprite rips for Tails' new sprites yet and I love his sprite when you start a Special Stage, I decided to take a few minutes at work and eyeball it from a screenshot:

Tails_CD.png


Probably off a couple pixels here and there, but close enough :)
Whoa, you did a really good job with this. Awww... cuuuuuute.

Super-envious of you guys who get to play the entire thing this week. On the bright side, I can study for my last exam on Saturday. But on the other hand, I'd rather be playing Sonic CD. :/

(Also I like more tracks on the JP soundtrack better. I like both of the boss themes, though. The JP one is delightfully silly, but the US one is awesomely creepy.)
 

clav

Member
Is it a bug in the game that the score doesn't tally at the end until the level complete music finishes?
 

Chinner

Banned
god this retro engine is so perfect. PLEASE sega fucking use this for all of your old games.

also sonic cd is amazing and i forgot how good it is. easily the most atmospheric and stylish sonic game out there
 

tborsje

Member
Further updates into my Android misadventures with this game: It downloaded 4/8 files and suddenly stopped at 100% of that. Now I have to do the whole process again, which took like 6 hours to begin with. What the hell is going on? No way can their servers be THIS bad.

I left my download running all night and it still wasn't finished. I gave up and just downloaded the SD card files from someone on xda-developers who uploaded them to a file hosting site.

It sucks that this is the only way for me to play the game.
 
OH!

After completing all of the stages in time-attack you can press down to play the special stages. Be sure to do your best on those as unlocks are tied to them.

I just unlocked a Stage Select. Pretty damn sweet(especially because it allows for selecting time periods as well as acts and zones). Just gonna tool around for awhile until I figure what I want to say in my review.

Also while I appreciate this game supports leaderboards for the score. Everyone is just gonna farm Collision Chaos until they get 99999999999999 points
 
FINALLY got the game working on android and HOLY SHIT THOSE RESPONSIVE PHYSICS AND 60 FPS AND SHARP GRAPHICS AAAAAAAH.

Seriously, I almost cried a little when I first made Sonic move in this game. Just feels completely perfect. I'm going to be playing this for a long, long time.
 
Just destroying the generator doesn't eliminate everything from the past and present. Destroying the generator + Metal Sonic hologram kind of does, but even then, there can be a few enemies left over.

But Good Futures are 100% devoid of any enemies. Just rings, power-ups and the occasional bed of spikes/bottomless pit.

Is there a generator AND metal Sonic hologram in EVERY act?
 

dtrack

Member
FINALLY got the game working on android and HOLY SHIT THOSE RESPONSIVE PHYSICS AND 60 FPS AND SHARP GRAPHICS AAAAAAAH.

Seriously, I almost cried a little when I first made Sonic move in this game. Just feels completely perfect. I'm going to be playing this for a long, long time.

ARGHHHHHH!

I want to play but this download is so slow. It cut out half way which took an hour! Now I have to start again :(

Anyone mind sharing the downloaded data?
 
You need to destroy both to create good future?

Nope. You only have to destroy a generator to get a Good Future. Oddly, holograms have no impact on good/bad future status, but they make you get them for the achievement anyway.

You could also collect all of the time stones to be awarded an instant good future in every zone in the game.
 

rozay

Banned
Just a heads up for anyone as dumb as me, there are no metal sonic projectors in the final stage
since he gets blowed up in the previous stage
 
There's a generator and a hologram in Acts 1 and 2 of every zone, yes. And there's an achievement for getting both in each one.

There's no hologram in Metallic Madness Zone. It's been so long since I last played this - wasted so much time!

EDIT: Damn, beaten again!
 
Also I should mention that I just got an achievement using the Stage Select mode.
(Collision Chaos act 2 - Take the high road)

Also it's kinda weird but this mode saves progress all the time. I've quit back to the main menu multiple times to check out other stages only to come back and see that my lives and score are accounted for. It's kinda nice.

Don't think you can get the all generators/holograms achievement with it though.
 
D

Deleted member 22576

Unconfirmed Member
Played the demo of the XBLA version. Seems incredibly well done.
I bought the iOS version though. Only two bucks and I feel like I'll be much more likely to play it on my phone, even if the controls are poor.
 

RagnarokX

Member
Whoa, you did a really good job with this. Awww... cuuuuuute.

Super-envious of you guys who get to play the entire thing this week. On the bright side, I can study for my last exam on Saturday. But on the other hand, I'd rather be playing Sonic CD. :/

(Also I like more tracks on the JP soundtrack better. I like both of the boss themes, though. The JP one is delightfully silly, but the US one is awesomely creepy.)

I think the JP version is a little too silly and the US version just never gets going.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzXwutv0yy8 Now that's boss music :D
 

Syringe

Member
Further updates into my Android misadventures with this game: It downloaded 4/8 files and suddenly stopped at 100% of that. Now I have to do the whole process again, which took like 6 hours to begin with. What the hell is going on? No way can their servers be THIS bad.

Dude... you're in luck, I'm stuck on 0 files at 0% after 12 hours ;)
 

dtrack

Member
So I got the data files thanks to a little help from someone :)

I'm playing it on my Samsung Galaxy Note, one word, STUNNING.

The Super AMOLED HD screen really makes the colors and graphics look really great!
 
Dear Sega

I know I've called you and Sonic Team a number of obscenities for the various cavalcade of complete and utter shite you have been releasing under the Sonic brand for the last ten years. I even promised not to give you any more money for anything Sonic related ever, ever again because rewarding your sheer record-breaking incompetence makes my skin crawl. The last money I spent on your Sonic garbage was the shite Sonic Unleashed and that was where I drew the line. No more Sonic.

Here is what has happened in the last twenty-four hours:

-This version of Sonic CD caused me to dig out an old unused XBox buried in the spare room and spend time dedusting it, wiring it up and connecting it to the internet. I then updated for ages, then connected to the internet and paid for and downloaded the game. I played it for hours.

-Today I actually spent money on the iTunes store for the first time in three years of owning an iPhone. Sonic CD did caused this. Not only did I brave an entirely new marketplace, I was doing it to double-dip on a game I'd just purchased on a different format less than a day ago. I even navigated the horrendous horrors of iTunes to get the damn thing on my phone. Have already been playing it.

-I'm already planning on triple-dipping with the Steam version when it comes out. Since I actually own the original Mega-CD release, does this count as quadruple-dipping now?

Do you see? If you release garbage, you get what you deserve. If you release something that's actually got some transcendent excellence to it (for the first time in ten fucking years) then you don't just get my money, you get repeated purchases on multiple platforms.

I want to give you more money Sega, but god damnit do you make it so hard sometimes.

Your next project must involve Mr Whitehead and his remarkable engine, as it is capable of more consistent physics, refined mechanics and quality than your entire last decade of pitiable efforts.

I don't mind the nature of the project. It could be a definitive Sonic 3 and Knuckles, or a Sonic 1 collection which includes the excellent and underrated Master System Zones. It could be a new game entirely. Just make something with this remarkable engine, led by the talented Taxman who has proved that he, unlike yourselves, is capable of remembering and respecting the strengths that made the series famous in the first place.

Thanks Sega. You did good this time.

Not sure how anyone can hate Sonic CD JP's boss theme: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4MC-izHi5w but whatever.
Sega was big on funk/soul in the early 90s.

Haha that's amazing, I had no idea!
 

ToD_

Member
Great game, great port. Really brings me back. I remember purchasing the PC version back then, but this is somehow better. It looks nice and crisp and plays wonderfully on my iPhone (4S). I'm not a fan of virtual gamepad controls, but I'm having no issues whatsoever. It certainly helps that sonic only uses one button.

I'm hoping we'll see more ports of this quality. I want a proper Streets of Rage 2 on my iPhone now!
 

iavi

Member
Its not an emulator. Its an engine that rebuilt a Sonic game from the ground up, and is not applicable for any non-Sonic games (at least at present). It would have absolutely no application for Snatcher.
This is wrong on all accounts. I posted a toucharcade interview with Whitehead a few pages back. The Retro Engine and its RSDK are capable of much more than Sonic. I'd grab the link again, but I'm on the mobile.
 
Pretty sure I read that it's generally an engine for 2D platformers (I believe Taxman actually cited Castlevania as an example of a game that could easily be made with it)

Edit: Ah, I knew I wasn't remembering wrong.
 

binary

Member
Anyone figure out how to unlock the premium theme that is supposed to be included in the XBLA version? At the end of the demo it said the full game contained a premium theme and gamer pics.
 
This is wrong on all accounts. I posted a toucharcade interview with Whitehead a few pages back. The Retro Engine and its RSDK are capable of much more than Sonic. I'd grab the link again, but I'm on the mobile.

If I'm wrong on all counts, you are saying that the Retro engine is an emulator?
 
To answer your question, Sonic Jam (A game i actually own in my sonic collection :p) was built form the ground up specifically for the sega saturn. So there wa sno porting or emulation. Reason being for the re-building was not only for software reasons, but also for the unique different build found on the game e.g. easy and normal doffocilties for all 4 original sonic games . This means for eaxmple, the easy mode will only allow you to play the first act of certain stages wehre as hard mode enabled more bots to fight during the acts etc.
 
Top Bottom