Recently, I have developed an interest in older, "retro", games: Since owning a Nintendo Wii, I have started to become facinated in what made them good back when they were released and what makes them still playable today. Games such as Sonic the Hedgehog 1 and 2 on the megadrive and Kirby's Adventure on the NES are new discoveries for me as I started my gaming career in the latter days of the N64.It had never really occured to me until now, but the transition from Sonic 1 to Sonic 2 is quite a jump. Although graphically the character does not change much between games, the environments gain layers and a sence of depth. Also the audio improves dramatically; the music becomes much more complicated (and addictive) whilst still maintaining the classic ring-collection and jump sounds.
Furthermore, the second game manages to introduce mechanics that the first game did not offer: In the first game you would need to take an extra run up to get up a steep slope, the second game had this new idea of having sonic spin on the ground to gain speed. This made the whole game pacing alot better and made you feel the speed that Sonic has become known for. I have found that small tweaks like this often make games alot more fun to play as you do not end up with moments of frustration and shouting "WHY!!!" so often.
Kirby's Adventure has been a real surprise to me. Although it was made for the NES, the animation of Kirby is full of character! He bounds around and trips if he falls a great distance (which is not so much annoying.. as just cute!!). I had never played it until a friend recommended it, but "the little pink ball of goo" is actually great fun to play as!! I think the idea of being able to suck up your enemies and absorb their powers is genius!! I think the reason it is so satisfying is that you become as powerful as the monsters you have just beaten. Magic!
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