The worst special stage in the series
>can barely control Sonic
>bumpers, turners, and other mechanics that you can't do shit about
>goal blinkers just straight up lies to you
At least the other games you can maneuver around the bullshit. Here they drop you in and say "lol see ya!"
the advance games suck to get into and then the special stage also sucks
This is the only special stage I have fun playing, so you're wrong I'm right. You're not allowed to reply.
>The worst special stage in the series
On the Genesis yes, in the series in general no - the Advance trilogy and Heroes have horrendous special stages.
Sonic 2s is worse, especially you decide to just leave Sonic + Tails mode on.
I never got the hate with Heroes special stages they were so mind numbingly easy
>hold boost button and grab orbs
Apparently a lot of people had trouble with them which is crazy to me
Fucking this
>>hold boost button and grab orbs
That you need to hold the button is unclear
Also you lose all speed and are basically fucked if you end up on the top of the pipe
1 and 3's special stages are fine.
2 on the other hand and the way to enter them is just fucking terrible.
>get 50 rings and find one of the many star posts
Better than 1 forcing you to make it to the end of the level and oops there's a spike oh what a shame so close
Advance you fucking moron.
You OK? If you get mad from that seems like something's wrong
1 was somewhat annoying. If you fail, restart stage. It's like a more annoying Sonic 3.
3 was tedious due to the special key. Don't remember if it could be farmed.
Both are leagues above 2's system.
The worst special stages are the fucking blue spheres.
>Don't remember if it could be farmed.
They could but I think it maxes at 9? Either way they get shat out all over the stage once you find the Chao so it isn't a big deal.
Well, yeah but also no. Sonic 3 special stages are horrid.
Nah Blue Sphere is fun.
Not at all.
>No sense of location
>Speed up hinders the prior further
>No sense of location
Are you thinking of Sonic 1?
No, but it does apply to it.
Git gud.
Sonic 1 handles special stages the best of the original trilogy.
The method to get into the special stages is superior to the other games for a couple main reasons. It first of all ensures a good pacing and that special stages are not an interruption. Unlike Sonic 2 and 3, special stages are entered at the end of a level instead of randomly in the middle of one. Thus, they happen at a good time instead of interrupting your regular gameplay within an act. A radical change in how the game is is most appropriate in the transition between levels.
Second, gathering and keeping fifty rings is better than looking for big rings, and it also works better in 1 than 2. It takes some skill and being good at the game to get into 1's special stages, it feels like an accomplishment. Meanwhile in 3&K you just have to get into fake walls, and when you already know where the fake walls are after multiple playthroughs there is no exploration, the exploration element dries up when you already know where to go, and you go to the same places every single time. In 2 you only need to have 50 rings near a checkpoint, and after you're finished with the special stage all the rings respawn. Getting into special stages in Sonic 2 too easy.
The third advantage Sonic 1 has is space. It is optimal in 2 and 3&K to do all the special stages at once, before you even finish the second zone. Doing this though causes the special stages as a whole to drag on. It leaves less time for the better traditional Sonic gameplay in that portion of the game. What's good about Sonic 1's special stages is that they are spaced apart well. You don't even have to worry about them in the third acts, giving you breathing room.
(cont.)
Now for the Special Stages themselves. Memorization is best used in 1. The later stages of 2 are somewhat bullshit and you need prior knowledge to get past them. 3&K requires no memorization, but memorization also doesn't really help. You can't really go faster or improve much like in normal Sonic gameplay if you know the layout or how to do things with prior knowledge. This makes replaying 3&K's special stages stale. In Sonic 1 memorization can help quite a bit, which can be frustrating for new players on a first playthrough, but if one is careful, snoops around the corner to look where goal balls are, realizes that the correct path often has a trail of rings, and follows the arrows that explicitly tell you the path to take, they will get by perfectly fine. Part of the beauty of 1's special stages is that on repeated playthroughs you can traverse them much faster since you know where to go and how to go there efficiently and not play so safe. Coupled with the "randomness" (which is really just complexity people don't understand) of 1's special stages, this makes them not get stale and have a high skill ceiling.
Next of all, 1's special stages have the best movement. 2 is an on rails autoscroller where you can only move left or right and jump, and 3&K is similar except moving left and right actually turns you in different directions. Movement in these special stages are very different to normal gameplay, and so it is slightly jarring. In 1 they didn't throw out the way sonic normally moves, instead he controls like he's in a ball with much of the benefits of normal sonic movement. It's nice to be able to move as you jump, and you can go pretty fast on your own accord instead of having a constant speed the entire time or a set speed you can't control.
The aesthetic of the special stages are also best in 1, the birds and fish are iconic while the others just have some simple patterns.
BTW have an objective tier list of zones.