The special stages can be a real pain sometimes. The judging distance between Sonic and the UFO is really difficult to get. I kept jumping too soon or late.For one, I find the exploration part of the game is a bit more fun now. I keep coming across really cool parts of the level like in Stardust Speedway. The levels really do look pretty good at times and I really enjoy some of the look to them a bit more. The JP soundtrack, I kept it on for most of the time and found I loved more of the JP tracks to the American one but they're still both good. Still not a fan of the special stages though...=/
I think it is kinda close to the Genesis games in terms of quality but I'd have to think it over just a tad more.