Sonic the Hedgehog 2

It wasn't long ago at all that I decided to play the first Sonic the Hedgehog game. Now, its sequel has been checked off the backlog. I must say, the playing experiences were nearly identical. There's still no password or game save system, but once again, a level select code enabled me to beat this one with no real hassle. The biggest change this time around is the debut of Tails, Sonic's trusted two-tailed fox of a partner. There's a 2-player option, but if you're lone wolfing the game like I did, Tails will be controlled by the AI, and will mostly just mimic Sonic's movements. This is an added bonus oftentimes, because during boss fights, sometimes Tails will add an extra whack to your opponent, decreasing fight times. While I thought Tails was only an extra on-screen distraction when I began to play this game, by the middle of the game I was glad to have him by my side. For the final three levels, Tails is absent, and Sonic must take on Dr. Robotnik alone. There's really not much to say about this game that I didn't cover in my recent entry on Sonic 1. The frustration levels were pretty low, and a few of the zones were really, really fun to play through. However, by the last quarter of the game or so, some of the enemies just got ridiculous, and I was glad to see it end. As of now, I'm planning to wait a little while before dealing with Sonic 3; I'm enjoying these games so far, and I wouldn't want to ruin that by pressing my luck with a third in under a week.