I Did Eventually Beat the Game.
November 4, 2011
Today’s comic’s subject is a matter near and dear to my heart. Sonic the Hedgehog. What can I say, I was a gamer in the nineties, I’d have to have a really good excuse to not play those games, and I’d need an even bigger excuse to not love them. I didn’t really pick a side during the whole console wars era, I owned and loved both systems. Though If I had to choose I would pick the Super Nintendo every time hands down, though I would sincerely miss the four classic Genesis Sonic the Hedgehog games.
Now today’s comic in particular has to deal with Sonic 3, I have a lot of clear and vivid memories of this game. I remember I was at a sleepover at my friend’s house and we went to the local video store to rent a video game for the weekend, and there it was. Sonic the Hedgehog 3. It had just come out and I couldn’t believe that the crappy little rental store, a store that doesn’t exist anymore I might add, actually had a copy of the game. Well I just had to rent it. Problem was my friend didn’t actually have a Genesis. So much to my parent’s surprise, thinking they had gotten rid of me for the weekend I quickly ran into the house only to grab the Genesis. We played that game all weekend, sadly we weren’t able to beat it. We just couldn’t figure out the dreaded barrel room at the end of Carnival Night Zone Act 2. Now I don’t want anyone to say how easy the barrel room was, yes when you actually figure out what you need to do you feel like a fricken moron for not figuring it out sooner, but in my defense it was was 1994, internet barely existed, there was no gamefaqs. You had to figure this shit out on your own! Funny thing is back in the day when I was a kid everyone I asked said they took forever figuring out what to do with the barrel, but now that the whole internet thing exists apparently everyone is a fucking gaming God and figured it out instantaneously that you needed to stand on the barrel and alternately press up and down on the controller. There was NOTHING that would lead you to think that’s what you needed to do, you hadn’t used the up button for ANYTHING else in ANY Sonic game EVER! So to those of you who scoff over the unwashed masses who were unable to master the barrel on their first try I say fuck you, and I declare shenanigans, but I digress. I’ve gone way off topic.
So anywho I downloaded Sonic 3 and Sonic and Knuckles of the Xbox Live Arcade as soon as I found out when you had both games downloaded you could access the lock out technology and play the super meta game that was Sonic 3 and Knuckles. What exactly is lock on technology? That’s a topic for another day. Sonic 3 and Knuckles is in my opinion the pinnacle of Sonic the Hedgehog’s career, so I jumped at the opportunity to recapture a small glimmer of days gone by. The only problem was I hit a road block. I couldn’t beat the final boss in Sonic 3. I had to have died a dozen times. It was to only boss that gave me a problem, and I thought to myself, the ten year old version of me would kick my ass if he knew I was having such a problem. Then again I’d probably chastise him for taking so long figuring out the barrel. And then the circle would be complete. Now that I think about it. I should do that! Expect a sequel to this comic on Monday. Just disregard everything you just read so it’s a surprise. Oh who am I kidding, this news post is huge. No one’s gonna actually read it.