iPad Review: Sonic CD

Hey guys, everyone’s lovable blue hedgehog is back! That’s right, Sega finally was able to get its classic Sonic CD onto the iPad, thanks to the help of Christian Whitehead. Now, Sonic fans will be able to enjoy playing the game on their iPad without the use of those old consoles.

Of course, I’ve played Sega before, but not for the iPad, you know? It was quite an interesting experience. As Sonic, you must stop Dr. Eggman from causing more evil and harm to befall Little Planet, which decides to make an appearance once every year. There, you’ll find many different happenings and items that will decide your fate.

To maneuver Sonic, you use the directional pad on the left hand side and the jump button on the right-hand side. Now, there isn’t a tutorial to help you begin and if you were lost like me (I assumed there would be some sort of tutorial), well, you probably didn’t think to look at the Main Menu options. Yeah, you would think that I would’ve thought that up, right? Nah, I didn’t discover that until after a bit into the game and I was wondering how I was supposed to really control Sonic. Ah, that’s when I realized that I should’ve looked at the Main Menu.

The Main Menu tells you all you need to know about the game - characters, different items, moves, special combos, etc. I would’ve liked to see a tutorial in actual gameplay. After all, those who are unfamiliar with the game should be able to learn while actually playing the game. It just makes learning just that more valuable.

When you’re actually playing the game, hold your iPad as if you were holding a book. Aka, your thumbs should be the ones to touch the screen. That makes gameplay much better (basically, you’re playing on a game console, you know, those handhelds). One of the good things about the game is the fact that you can play while listening to either the US or the Japanese game soundtrack. And Sonic is a Japanese game, so that makes the gameplaying experience just that more authentic.

I first balked at the graphics (and I somewhat still do). I’m not used to the graphics being all pixelated and stretched out. Either be pixelated on a small screen or have some awesome-looking graphics that fit the screen. Sometimes, just playing the game with the stretched-out pixelated graphics isn’t all that fun - I can’t tell at times where the heck I’m going or the enemies in front of me or whether I’m about to hit those springs that send me flying in directions that I don’t want to be flying in.

Despite the graphics issue and lack of tutorial, I found this to be a pretty fun game. I’ve always had a fondness for Japanese games, so this was no different. And besides, if you’re a Sonic enthusiast, this game is for you. Definitely for you. And for $2.99 on your iPad, you can play to your heart’s content. Just make sure you don’t overdo it and forget to sleep.

Interested in wanting to know more or to purchase the game? Check it out here.