Sonic levels that should be in Sonic Anniversary

Picking out your favorite Sonic levels is like picking out your favorite child, sometimes its easy because someone failed math and other times its difficult to do, because you hate them all equally.

We have decided to take a crack at compiling a list of Sonic levels we would like to see in Sonic Anniversary (If the details turn out to be true and they seem like they will). I will only go through the main console series, way too many Sonic games to go through spin offs and handhelds.

This is our opinion, if you have some stages not mentioned, give us a comment letting us know how wrong our opinions are.

Green Hill Zone

The easiest way to start off the list, the first level out of the first Sonic game. How can you do a game with the best Sonic levels through out the career of the blue blur and not have Green Hill Zone? This is not possible.

This level introduced audiences to trends that will follow in later Sonic games, like loops and spring boards. It also has the catchiest song ever, I swear, sometimes I hate playing this game due to how it gets stuck forever in my brain.

Green Hill Zone alone, took Sonic Team a year and a half to produce. They had to re-do the stage four or five times to get what we have now. That is dedication, if only the new Sonic Team wasn’t afriad to take this long to produce levels for their new games. Right?

Chemical Plant Zone

I know a lot of people expected me to put Emerald Hill Zone, which is a excellent level, just like Green Hill Zone, but its too  much alike. I will also be honest, I love Chemical Plant Zone more. I love the design and  change in scenery compared to the tropical look of Emerald Hill Zone (or Green Hill Zone).

Not only that, this level also introduces us to the Grabber badnik. Probably one of the oddest, creepiest badniks in Sonic history. This thing waits for you to pass and then hugs you. Yes, hugs you. There are two ways that you can escape his love bug, have Tails hit him or press left & right on the d-pad. Regardless, this guy is a rapist, a sexy bee looking rapist.

I mean, what isn’t awesome about escaping from a flooded factory filled with toxic liquid?

Death Egg Zone

Here is another zone from Sonic the Hedgehog 2. This one is the last zone in the game, where you fight Mecha Sonic. It is not right to call this a real stage, since its actually just two boss battles. You start the first fight against Mecha Sonic and after him you fight Robotnik himself.

Not only did this level introduce the idea of a metallic Sonic (which goes to be used in Sonic CD and other guest appearance as Metal Sonic) but it also had you fighting a epic battle against Robotnik in a giant metal suit of himself. Seriously, isn’t Robotnik a bit into himself? He loves plastering his face everywhere.

Robotnik’s final battle in this game is considered by many one of the hardest boss battles due to not having rings. Yes, one hit and you die. Sounds fun? I bet it does.

Angel Island Zone

Sonic 3’s first level is Angel Island Zone, I choose this because there is a pretty good introduction about the island in the start of the game. Not to mention this is the first time you meet Knuckles, who destroys a bridge and knocks you into Hydrocity.

I think one of my favorite things about this level is the fact that Act 1 & 2 change in style. If you play the first act, you fight Robotnik’s fire machine. After you defeat the machine, it will set fire to the whole island, having you run through a orange colored level full of vegetation set ablaze.

This level also features Monkey Dude badnik, which is basically a new version of Coconut from Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Does he really make the level more awesome? No, but it doesn’t hurt, I wish I had Dude as a last name.

Carnival Night Zone

Since we didn’t mention the Casino stage from Sonic the Hegehog 2, I decided to add Carnival Night Zone, a theme park themed stage from Sonic the Hedgehog 3. This level had secrets to find, one of those levels you want to explore and find new things you missed the time before.

The game also had balloons that you could jump on and and anti-gravity field sections. The only complaint about the level is the trap door with the barrel that was named “Barrel of Doom”, due to fans being frustrated and not being able to find a way out. You are suppose to press up and down on the d-pad, moving the weight of the barrel. But hey, in Sonic 3 & Knuckles, this wasn’t there. So… take this out SEGA!

Hidden Palace Zone

This Sonic & Knuckles stage is the turning point in the story you started in Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Hidden Palace Zone is the shrine where Knuckles lives and protects the Master Emerald.

The level is actually not much of a stage, if you play with Sonic you will fight Knuckles and then Knuckles will find out he was betrayed by Robotnik after he steals the Master Emerald from him. After this, Knuckles helps you to the next zone.

Even though the level isn’t as big as I would have liked it, it is a key point in the plot for Sonic 3 & Knuckles and has to be included, in my opinion. Plus making it longer could be awesome. I would not mind seeing this zone remixed. Maybe add some stuff from Sonic 2’s lost level with the same name?

Palmtree Panic

[Past] – [Bad Future] – [Good Future]

One of the big gimmicks for Sonic the Hedgehog CD was that it had time traveling. This meant you could play the same stage in a different time, with different outcomes.  Basically you played a present, Past, Bad future, and good future.

Let me start off by saying, I hate time traveling plots in Sonic games, they are annoying (see: Sonic Rush), but I liked the concept for this game, changing the level from ‘area to area’.For my level of choice, I chose Palmtree Panic, the first stage off of Sonic CD. My reason is because its my favorite from the game and it also has a loop that changes to ‘3-D back view’ of Sonic, matching with the Sonic Unleashed & Sonic Colors type of gameplay that Sonic Anniversary is rumored to have.

Emerald Coast

Sonic Adventure was Sonic’s return to consoles, with him mostly missing the SEGA Saturn, he hit on launch day on SEGA’s new machine, the Dreamcast. Expectations where high and SEGA hit most marks when the game debuted.

I think Emerald Coast is probably the most important level in Sonic Adventure, not only does it have the most iconic scene, the pictured above whale scene, it is also one of the best looking levels in the game.

Starting off with 3D Sonic games by playing this level is the way to go.

Speed Highway

This is the best level in Sonic Adventure, for sure. Most likely the best concept for a 3D Sonic level ever. The game has variety of things to do, while you still keep on running in true Sonic gameplay.

There is a section in this level when Sonic reaches a glass area, the glass beneath him shatters, sending Sonic down the side of the building. Most people  would have just fell to their death, not Sonic. He runs on the side of the building, dodging helicopter blades as he scales down the massive building. Now that is extreme.

This is an awesome level that would benefit from being re-done in 2D/3D style. If it isn’t in the Sonic Anniversary game, I will throw a fit.

City Escape

When I got Phantasy Star Online for the Dreamcast, back in the day, it came with a demo for Sonic Adventure 2. In the demo, this stage was playable, I swear, I played through it like a million times. I then bought Sonic Adventure 2.

This level is pretty great, it has you jumping off a helicopter, snowboarding down the streets of San Francisco (or a city that is inspired by it) and then running away from a massive semi truck.

This is also the first level in the ‘Heroes’ story line, thus making it one of the best. Something that Sonic games do a ton, start out great.

Metal Harbor

This level is Sonic escaping from GUN, sure it has oceans that equal bottomless pits, but I found the level fun to play through. At least it wasn’t annoying like the Green Forest stage. Fuck that stage.

This level has lots of speed pads, loops and cool flying birds that add to the wow factor in the level. Sure the level might not look amazing by today standards, but a remake of the level could pop open those jaws like this level originally did when it came out.

Radical Highway

This is the first stage that you play as Shadow, in the Dark Storyline part of the game. I have to say, this is my favorite Shadow level, ever.

I thought this level used a good blend of grinding, a new feature for this game, and stretches of path to run on. There was also platforming bits with boxes and enemies to fight through.

Grand Metropolis

I will be the first to admit, I was not a big fan of Sonic Heroes. I didn’t like the ‘switching’ between characters to do some stuff. But I did play through it and a level that stuck with me was Grand Metropolis.

I’m a bit of a fan of the futuristic industrial look of the level, with its bright colors that pop out at you.

Kingdom Valley

Sonic the Hedghog (2006) was the Sonic 15th Anniversary game that turned out to be a pile of shit. It was an unfinished game that was rushed out by SEGA to meet its deadline.

Regardless, I decided to go through the main series of games and this is part of the main series. I have to go with Kingdom Valley. The stage was different than most themed stages in the Sonic series (well, was, now European themed stages appeared in Unleashed and Black Knight), it was a medieval themed stage.

Though picking a stage for this title is like picking what form of torture you want.

Dragon Road

Sonic Unleashed is the first 3D sonic game to introduce 3D to 2.5D gameplay, something that the upcoming Sonic Colors and (as of right now, rumored) Sonic Anniversary will feature.

I think its a bit weird, suggesting Sonic Unleashed stages for this game, due to it going to be played like Sonic Unleashed. Wouldn’t that be recycling? The level I chose for Sonic Unleash was “Dragon Road”, a Chinese inspired level.

I liked the concept of you going on the Great Wall of China and it had some pretty good platforming sections. Its hard, I quite liked most of the daytime stages in this game.

There are like a ton of Sonic levels throughout his 20 years of entertainment. Which are some of your favorite stages that you would like to see come back?

Images lefted from Sonic Retro

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