My opinions align basically exactly with yours. First three levels and the bonus stages are cool and fun and great and enjoyable if you can get the hang of the funky physics, but screw that last stage with a cactus and then a particularly spiky mace. Two fun facts: In Toxic Caves, if you manage to get up those beginning blocked pipes due to the wonky collision, the green sludge over top of the center emerald will actually kill you if you try to go get it. In the same level, you only need to pull one lever. When you start going down, you can hit it with one of the flippers to change your course, and if you end up heading towards the section you haven't done yet, you can just opt to go back to the center of the stage when you get back to the bottom, and then you're clear to go back up the pipe to the section you cleared and then go on the opposite path to the one you took before, now getting the final emerald and taking you back to the section you cleared. From there you can just go straight to the boss, no need to clear out anything extra. You won't get as many points, which may inhibit progress toward 1-ups a bit, but you'll clear the stage very quickly.
It's kinda funny how Spinballs specific sound effects can also be heard in the most random and obscure games on the system at the time like "Awesome Possum Kicks Dr Machimos Butt". To this day, I never understood if they were used in other games because it was good, or if it was a case of they were just "free use" and everyone used them if they were trying to make a Mega Drive game on the cheap. Also Lava Powerhouse soundtrack goes hard.
I could be totally wrong on this but it might be that both games share the same sound processor, GEMS instrumentation more than likely as was common with western developed titles
@Alianger Spinball was such a fluke honestly, it's a shame STI never got a chance to finish some of their more promising projects like Astropede. Then there's the stuff we hardly know a lick about, Spinny & Spike, B-Bomb, ect. Then there was the SATAM and Treasure Tails Amiga demos that never got a chance past the initial pitch.
I love that the worms swear when you hit them. also braving the options menu to turn the gamespeed to fast on the 50hz version makes feel much more like a pinball game but you sacrifice pretty much all control but aiming is WAY better.
2:02 Oh, it's not just you. The game is actually running at 30fps compared to the other classics that run at 60fps. It's because Spinball's code was written in C, which is easier to read and write, but it's a less efficient machine code and results in a lower framerate. Whereas the other games were written in Assembly; very efficient, higher framerate, takes more time to manage.
I remember playing the "Master System" version alot and really enjoyed it. The special stages between the levels were really interesting. But the thing I remember the most is... you get rewarded for exploring the levels. In each level, there is a hidden place with a special box. If you destroy the box, you get a part of a 4-part code. After finding them all (or not, because the internet) and type in the code in the soundtest, you can unlock some stuff.
I tried this once at a friends house when I was a kid. The things that stuck with me was the cool intro, minecarts and the animation of Sonic tuck between the teeth of that snake creature. NOTHING of the actual gameplay left a lasting impression on me but at least it had some cool moments.
Such a mixed bag game, but 3/4s of it is absolutely fantastic. Seeing the Veg-O-Fortress as an extras island in Origins made me so freaking happy. And props to you for splicing in the GG/SMS tunes as well, there's actually a decent bit in the 8-bit version I warmed up to, and the OST is one of em. Toxic Caves may be a definitive banger, but Toxic Pools? Oh yes please, it is actually an underrated gem.
Just because it was virtually the only bit of music not mentioned by name, I must give a shout out to the Boss music - which I adore in all its harsh intensity.
hey megagwolf man I just wanna say your videos have a special place in my heart and I think the change to this style of content is a really great move. you may not remember it but you had this video of you fighting on a map with two giant towers on the game king arthurs gold and it really drew me to that game and I ended up making a lot of friends that i still have 13 years later because of that community. since you're doing this type of content now would love to see some reviews of the old school final fantasy games sometime there's an audience for the ff retrospectives for sure I've watched like 12+ different ff6 retrospectives lol. good luck and thank you bro!
Is my head spinning from spinball or from being so happy to get two Pixelated Memories videos so close together!? Either way I think I need to sit down and watch!
I was so excited when this game came out, went to the video store to rent it, loved the startup animation and the music…and then I played the game. It’s the most “eh, it’s fine…I guess?” Game I can think of.
I've literally been rewatching a few of your videos this evening and lo and behold a new one drops. I had to do a double take and it nearly made my head spin(ball). Not an unwelcome surprise.
Yooooo Sonic Spinball! I was waiting for this! If you're in the minority of liking the game, then I must be the only person that legitimately considers it one of my favorite games lol. Even with its abundant flaws, it's such a cool concept, and it's a shame that it's never been remade or revisited in any capacity (the 8-bit version doesn't count.) I really like how the game is essentially adventure pinball, and the tables being so big makes it fun to explore them. Making it to the very top of The Machine and then falling into the animal prison felt really cool as a kid. You touched on the the game's style, but something I don't think you mentioned that I love is the incredibly charming HUD mimicking an actual pinball display. The messages can be pretty goofy and, well... 90s, but it's really fun. I first played it on the Sonic Mega Collection as a kid, and the farthest I ever got on that version was a single run where I made it to The Machine. A good portion of my childhood was spent stuck in the very first board of Toxic Caves (no really), so it felt pretty good to get that far. Nowadays I can beat the whole game in pretty short order given Showdown plays nice. Which... yeah, Showdown is just a special kind of atrocious, even I won't try to defend it. Sure, once you've played it enough and know all the little tricks your chances of beating it go up, but your chances of losing to the bullshit and jank (falling through the floor anyone?) don't really go down. Knowing exactly how Robotnik's "fight" works definitely helps a lot. I do think it's a neat idea for a level, but it's just poorly designed with all the emeralds being stuffed in the highly dangerous and claustrophobic lower half. So yeah, I've got a lot of nostalgia for the game, so I'm happy to hear that you like it (well, 75% of it) despite its flaws! I don't really know how many people outright hate it tbh, but it always seemed like it got a relatively negative reception. Great video as always!
I could rarely make it to the “machine” level back in the nineties however for me, when they ported this with the rewind feature, the game became so much more playable. I’ve finished it multiple times since and can honestly say that I now find it so much more playable. I really, really enjoy this one these days.
Finally!! Someone who actually enjoys Spinball!! Every time I tell my friends that I like this one, they call me a fraud, but hearing someone else say that they enjoy (most of) Sonic Spinball is quite nice to hear!
I would play so much of Spinball as a kid in the 90s. I was eventually able to make it to the last level consistently but I never was able to truly master that level. It really feels like a crapshoot for a lot of the shots.
2:04 yep. sonic spinball has a lower frame rate, pretty sure its because it was programmed in c to save time; the consequence being a lower framerate and more prone to bugging out
There is without a doubt a Sonic SatAM inspiration. The music is similar to what you'd expect from a SatAM game, and it has characters from SatAM in special stage.
It's kind of a miracle Spinball is as good as it is, considering that it was rushed into production when Sonic 3 had development issues, and that it was programmed in C on a system that really didn't have enough power for it. Interestingly Toxic Caves reuses some of the art originally made for Sonic 2's Hidden Palace Zone, while The Machine reuses art made for Genocide/Cyber City Zone. I know for the longest time I could never get past Lava Powerhouse; I think I may have beaten the game once now though?
Me and Pixy got quite good at this game. Even with the questionable controls. I will never forget the first time we made it to Robotnik's Rocket, and manged to beat him. Did you know there is a hidden multiball bonus stage if you get all the rings in the stage? Its a sparkly warp when you find it. Winning it gets you a multiplyer bonus that can quadruple your points.
I never got as far as Toxic waste but that was purely because despite it being like other Pinball games, I still had no idea what I was doing mostly. I think I only ever got a proper glimpse of the other levels through the introduction sequence to Sonic Mega Collection of all things, and even then it only showcased the first bonus level for a split second before showcasing the other games in the collection lol.
I used to play this quite a bit when I was a kid, I was pretty much always able to reach level 2 and I'd get to level 3 maybe 1 out of each 20 attempts, I only ever reached level 4 once and I didn't survive long enough to really experience it. I actually played it again recently on the Switch and I still needed to use save states in order to beat it even though I managed to reach level 3 in a single life.
To be honest, I was very likely double-digit years old when this game came out, and when I saw the bosses for the first time, I just thought it made sense that Dr. Robotnik (or Eggman as we know him now) would make bosses designed after his ugly mug. Fear didn't factor into my mind at all at the sight or sound of them.
Spinball's physics are likely a consequence of the game being programmed in C versus the usual assembly fare of other Genesis games which I am to understand is what caused the framerate to be the way it is
I've actually beaten this game. The final stage is such a nightmare but it CAN be beaten. Many MANY of my runs ended in Showdown. Interesting thing to note about the game....if you collect EVERY ring in a stage, you will open a portal to the secret multiball bonus stage with 2 clucks and a crab with a shield. Other tips from years of playing... -You can hold left at the start of Lava Powerhouse. Sonic will fail to leave the loop and you'll enter the cannon for an easy first hit on the door. -If you hold the flippers up during the minecart section of Toxic Caves, Sonic will do a few loops for points and rings before stopping on the flipper. You can let him go and mash the flippers to smack his bum as he passes by. -In the final fight, there is probably a number of button presses before Robotnik's defenses go down. Robotnik's button resets when the line 'Smell my Socks' appears, meaning that the wind socks protecting him have reset. He says this when time runs out or when you press the button when his defenses are down. -If you mash all of the buttons during the Bonus stages, you'll shake the table. If you do this too much, you'll tilt. -The game is still very glitchy. I managed to get to the second area in Toxic Caves before draining the slime and if you jump into the slime, it kills you. I've also managed to get Sonic on top of one of those cannon heads in Lava Powerhouse, causing me to trigger the loop bonus a number of times before I fell off of it.
I badly wanted this for Christmas 93. Little 9 year old me opened this first and ran to the game room to start playing. The game doesnt age well but that Christmas magic is wearing rose coloured glasses. Also, I NEVER made it past stage 2.
You did a great job reviewing this game! Have you seen both Japanese and American commercials for sonic spinball? The Japanese commercial is very lighthearted and cute! The American commercial reminds me of listening to this song called “the mountain” by devildriver! It’s fast it’s intense it’s loud it’s sonic spinball!
Sir - you are not giving enough credit to Spinball Boss theme... Now that is the tune I always looked forward too when playing this game. That said, I always remember as a child, barely getting past Toxic Caves - having zero hope of even completing the second level. XD.
About the framerate thing! The main pinball game and physics run at 30FPS. Which is weird, because there's OTHER pinball games on the system that run at a perfectly silky 60, and the _minigames_ inbetween stages DO run at the standard 60. So it's likely a result of lack of optimization from this game being put together in C# as opposed to the more standard and better-optimized assembly of the time? But yeah, it doesn't exactly help the controls which are already floaty and weird by design.
Also I only ever managed to get to stage 3 as a kid, kinda got frustrated and couldn't find all the emeralds so I just stopped there. I played it again early this year to _finally_ finish it and while it WAS cathartic finally getting to stage 4 and beating the final boss, uh... I wouldn't say it was a _very good_ experience exactly?
There is one more version of Spinball, the GBA port. It, as well as Ecco 1 and Golden Axe 1 were released on one cart as a Sega Smash Pack. The Golden Axe port was okay I guess but Spinball and especially Ecco were terrible. Screen crunch was the biggest issue with these ports and also the fact the music was limited. The Ecco port only had one song for the entire game. I never got far with it back in the day but I can only image how much more awful the "Welcome to the Machine" for Ecco or "The Showdown" for Spinball would be on it.
I've beaten this game once, then decided that was enough! I HAVE played it multiple times, but didn't take it seriously after that! Still love this game though! I do remember I once had an experience, where even before I removed the barriers on the first set of pipes to take you to the toxic part of the first stage, Sonic somehow janked his way into them, which caused me to soft-lock, because the toxic tank with the emerald wasn't drained yet! Though interestingly enough, I was able to get the other two emeralds, because the second set of pipes were not barricaded, and the barrels, that were supposed to be inside were missing!
Honestly, I havent beaten this game until I got SOnic Gems Collection lol. And even then, it was the GameGear version ive completed, and then got motivated to finish the MegaDrive/Genesis Version. Both games being hard as absolute hell but I do appreciate they made levels in both games unique. rather than a copy and paste Except the final levels. BOTH LEVEL DESIGNS ARE INSTAKILLS AT ANY GIVEN TURN! ESPECIALLY THE BOSS BATTLES THAT ARE ALREADY HARD TO REACH
Good to see you're not totally gone from RUclips. Random question: how much of this footage was from your lets play as opposwd to new footage made for this video?
I grew up with spinball and I really like it, mostly because of the music and the aesthetics. The boss music in particular I really enjoy, even though there isn`t much to the bosses... All in all, I really enjoyed this game... except for stage four. Stage four is bullshit, and I only ever beat it once, by cheating (don`t remember if I found a cheat code of some kind, or if I spammed save stated)
Sonic game music being great has been consistent through the franchise. Heck some franchises only have longevity BECAUSE their soundtracks are such bangers Undertale is one such case for me. Generally stopped caring after your LP was done and nowadays my only engagement is listening to the ost and Toriel R34. :3
Aw, sad you didn't mention the secret bonus stage you can get to if you collect every ring in a level. If you knew about it, that is. I only know because it took me so long to beat The Machine at first I managed to collect every ring in the level in the meantime.
Is it a good Sonic game? No. Is a good pinball game? Kinda? I did really enjoy it as a kid. I can still make it the Showdown pretty consistently but never actually beat final Robotnik.
I'm reminded of when NerdCubed played this and just ended up finishing the game. Or was that Sonic R..? EDIT: It was Spinball and took him an hour ruclips.net/video/HjV0qZ6f7ss/видео.html
I have it, played, and finally passed it because it was Sonic. But the controls are bad, the drawings don't match the original (why??) And yes, it is short of you know what you have to do, but if not... it's hours
Spinball is one of my favourite games in the series...up until level 4. Showdown has to be the worst level in the franchise IMO; I would rather play Labyrinth and Wacky Workbench than Spinball's last level.
LOOK AT THIS GUY!
He likes Sonic and uploads again!
Glad to see you upload more!
Imagine liking Sonic? Couldn't be me.
@@APixelatedMemory pfft-
My opinions align basically exactly with yours. First three levels and the bonus stages are cool and fun and great and enjoyable if you can get the hang of the funky physics, but screw that last stage with a cactus and then a particularly spiky mace.
Two fun facts: In Toxic Caves, if you manage to get up those beginning blocked pipes due to the wonky collision, the green sludge over top of the center emerald will actually kill you if you try to go get it. In the same level, you only need to pull one lever. When you start going down, you can hit it with one of the flippers to change your course, and if you end up heading towards the section you haven't done yet, you can just opt to go back to the center of the stage when you get back to the bottom, and then you're clear to go back up the pipe to the section you cleared and then go on the opposite path to the one you took before, now getting the final emerald and taking you back to the section you cleared. From there you can just go straight to the boss, no need to clear out anything extra. You won't get as many points, which may inhibit progress toward 1-ups a bit, but you'll clear the stage very quickly.
It's kinda funny how Spinballs specific sound effects can also be heard in the most random and obscure games on the system at the time like "Awesome Possum Kicks Dr Machimos Butt". To this day, I never understood if they were used in other games because it was good, or if it was a case of they were just "free use" and everyone used them if they were trying to make a Mega Drive game on the cheap.
Also Lava Powerhouse soundtrack goes hard.
I could be totally wrong on this but it might be that both games share the same sound processor, GEMS instrumentation more than likely as was common with western developed titles
@@Steelwaterfall1 Yeah this is it, using the same instruments/sound patches made the SFX sound very similar even if not identical.
@Alianger Spinball was such a fluke honestly, it's a shame STI never got a chance to finish some of their more promising projects like Astropede. Then there's the stuff we hardly know a lick about, Spinny & Spike, B-Bomb, ect. Then there was the SATAM and Treasure Tails Amiga demos that never got a chance past the initial pitch.
@@Steelwaterfall1 I'd love to play a remake or sequel to Kid Chameleon or Comix Zone some day
I told myself I aint staying up past midnight for some sleep But how can I sleep knowing a brand new PIXELATED MEMORIES EPISODE IS UP!
Always glad to see you still hanging in there G especially nowadays
I love that the worms swear when you hit them. also braving the options menu to turn the gamespeed to fast on the 50hz version makes feel much more like a pinball game but you sacrifice pretty much all control but aiming is WAY better.
Oh i've not actually thought to try that! Might give that a go sometime.
2:02 Oh, it's not just you. The game is actually running at 30fps compared to the other classics that run at 60fps.
It's because Spinball's code was written in C, which is easier to read and write, but it's a less efficient machine code and results in a lower framerate. Whereas the other games were written in Assembly; very efficient, higher framerate, takes more time to manage.
I remember playing the "Master System" version alot and really enjoyed it.
The special stages between the levels were really interesting.
But the thing I remember the most is... you get rewarded for exploring the levels.
In each level, there is a hidden place with a special box.
If you destroy the box, you get a part of a 4-part code.
After finding them all (or not, because the internet) and type in the code in the soundtest, you can unlock some stuff.
I tried this once at a friends house when I was a kid. The things that stuck with me was the cool intro, minecarts and the animation of Sonic tuck between the teeth of that snake creature. NOTHING of the actual gameplay left a lasting impression on me but at least it had some cool moments.
This series makes me so happy and I am glad you are still making them.
All of the animated segments were really cool, amazing episode.
Such a mixed bag game, but 3/4s of it is absolutely fantastic. Seeing the Veg-O-Fortress as an extras island in Origins made me so freaking happy.
And props to you for splicing in the GG/SMS tunes as well, there's actually a decent bit in the 8-bit version I warmed up to, and the OST is one of em.
Toxic Caves may be a definitive banger, but Toxic Pools? Oh yes please, it is actually an underrated gem.
Just because it was virtually the only bit of music not mentioned by name, I must give a shout out to the Boss music - which I adore in all its harsh intensity.
Fun fact: there's actually a 4th bonus stage not mentioned in this video which you can get to if you get every single ring in a single level.
hey megagwolf man I just wanna say your videos have a special place in my heart and I think the change to this style of content is a really great move. you may not remember it but you had this video of you fighting on a map with two giant towers on the game king arthurs gold and it really drew me to that game and I ended up making a lot of friends that i still have 13 years later because of that community. since you're doing this type of content now would love to see some reviews of the old school final fantasy games sometime there's an audience for the ff retrospectives for sure I've watched like 12+ different ff6 retrospectives lol. good luck and thank you bro!
Is my head spinning from spinball or from being so happy to get two Pixelated Memories videos so close together!? Either way I think I need to sit down and watch!
I was so excited when this game came out, went to the video store to rent it, loved the startup animation and the music…and then I played the game.
It’s the most “eh, it’s fine…I guess?” Game I can think of.
This game, huge guilty pleasure. I beat this game dozens of times and I barely remember how crazy the final level is.
I've literally been rewatching a few of your videos this evening and lo and behold a new one drops. I had to do a double take and it nearly made my head spin(ball). Not an unwelcome surprise.
Yooooo Sonic Spinball! I was waiting for this!
If you're in the minority of liking the game, then I must be the only person that legitimately considers it one of my favorite games lol. Even with its abundant flaws, it's such a cool concept, and it's a shame that it's never been remade or revisited in any capacity (the 8-bit version doesn't count.) I really like how the game is essentially adventure pinball, and the tables being so big makes it fun to explore them. Making it to the very top of The Machine and then falling into the animal prison felt really cool as a kid. You touched on the the game's style, but something I don't think you mentioned that I love is the incredibly charming HUD mimicking an actual pinball display. The messages can be pretty goofy and, well... 90s, but it's really fun.
I first played it on the Sonic Mega Collection as a kid, and the farthest I ever got on that version was a single run where I made it to The Machine. A good portion of my childhood was spent stuck in the very first board of Toxic Caves (no really), so it felt pretty good to get that far. Nowadays I can beat the whole game in pretty short order given Showdown plays nice. Which... yeah, Showdown is just a special kind of atrocious, even I won't try to defend it. Sure, once you've played it enough and know all the little tricks your chances of beating it go up, but your chances of losing to the bullshit and jank (falling through the floor anyone?) don't really go down. Knowing exactly how Robotnik's "fight" works definitely helps a lot. I do think it's a neat idea for a level, but it's just poorly designed with all the emeralds being stuffed in the highly dangerous and claustrophobic lower half.
So yeah, I've got a lot of nostalgia for the game, so I'm happy to hear that you like it (well, 75% of it) despite its flaws! I don't really know how many people outright hate it tbh, but it always seemed like it got a relatively negative reception.
Great video as always!
I could rarely make it to the “machine” level back in the nineties however for me, when they ported this with the rewind feature, the game became so much more playable. I’ve finished it multiple times since and can honestly say that I now find it so much more playable. I really, really enjoy this one these days.
Starting it off right by stating this game is childhood ptsd, one day I'll beat this game
Finally!! Someone who actually enjoys Spinball!! Every time I tell my friends that I like this one, they call me a fraud, but hearing someone else say that they enjoy (most of) Sonic Spinball is quite nice to hear!
I would play so much of Spinball as a kid in the 90s. I was eventually able to make it to the last level consistently but I never was able to truly master that level. It really feels like a crapshoot for a lot of the shots.
Oh gosh spinball. I was lucky enough to grow up with a genesis even though they were old when i got mine. Spinball... Spinball was a trip
2:04 yep. sonic spinball has a lower frame rate, pretty sure its because it was programmed in c to save time; the consequence being a lower framerate and more prone to bugging out
There is without a doubt a Sonic SatAM inspiration.
The music is similar to what you'd expect from a SatAM game, and it has characters from SatAM in special stage.
It's kind of a miracle Spinball is as good as it is, considering that it was rushed into production when Sonic 3 had development issues, and that it was programmed in C on a system that really didn't have enough power for it. Interestingly Toxic Caves reuses some of the art originally made for Sonic 2's Hidden Palace Zone, while The Machine reuses art made for Genocide/Cyber City Zone.
I know for the longest time I could never get past Lava Powerhouse; I think I may have beaten the game once now though?
Toxic Caves is my JAM
Me and Pixy got quite good at this game.
Even with the questionable controls.
I will never forget the first time we made it to Robotnik's Rocket, and manged to beat him.
Did you know there is a hidden multiball bonus stage if you get all the rings in the stage?
Its a sparkly warp when you find it.
Winning it gets you a multiplyer bonus that can quadruple your points.
I was briefly in love with the Genesis version when I got Mega Collection Plus, also played the Game Gear version a lot on a Plug & Play
I never got as far as Toxic waste but that was purely because despite it being like other Pinball games, I still had no idea what I was doing mostly. I think I only ever got a proper glimpse of the other levels through the introduction sequence to Sonic Mega Collection of all things, and even then it only showcased the first bonus level for a split second before showcasing the other games in the collection lol.
I used to play this quite a bit when I was a kid, I was pretty much always able to reach level 2 and I'd get to level 3 maybe 1 out of each 20 attempts, I only ever reached level 4 once and I didn't survive long enough to really experience it. I actually played it again recently on the Switch and I still needed to use save states in order to beat it even though I managed to reach level 3 in a single life.
I've only gotten to the final stage once (The Machine is pain), but holy shit, I was not ready for the AGONY that The Showdown brings.
To be honest, I was very likely double-digit years old when this game came out, and when I saw the bosses for the first time, I just thought it made sense that Dr. Robotnik (or Eggman as we know him now) would make bosses designed after his ugly mug. Fear didn't factor into my mind at all at the sight or sound of them.
Spinball's physics are likely a consequence of the game being programmed in C versus the usual assembly fare of other Genesis games which I am to understand is what caused the framerate to be the way it is
I've actually beaten this game. The final stage is such a nightmare but it CAN be beaten.
Many MANY of my runs ended in Showdown.
Interesting thing to note about the game....if you collect EVERY ring in a stage, you will open a portal to the secret multiball bonus stage with 2 clucks and a crab with a shield. Other tips from years of playing...
-You can hold left at the start of Lava Powerhouse. Sonic will fail to leave the loop and you'll enter the cannon for an easy first hit on the door.
-If you hold the flippers up during the minecart section of Toxic Caves, Sonic will do a few loops for points and rings before stopping on the flipper. You can let him go and mash the flippers to smack his bum as he passes by.
-In the final fight, there is probably a number of button presses before Robotnik's defenses go down. Robotnik's button resets when the line 'Smell my Socks' appears, meaning that the wind socks protecting him have reset. He says this when time runs out or when you press the button when his defenses are down.
-If you mash all of the buttons during the Bonus stages, you'll shake the table. If you do this too much, you'll tilt.
-The game is still very glitchy. I managed to get to the second area in Toxic Caves before draining the slime and if you jump into the slime, it kills you. I've also managed to get Sonic on top of one of those cannon heads in Lava Powerhouse, causing me to trigger the loop bonus a number of times before I fell off of it.
I badly wanted this for Christmas 93. Little 9 year old me opened this first and ran to the game room to start playing. The game doesnt age well but that Christmas magic is wearing rose coloured glasses. Also, I NEVER made it past stage 2.
You did a great job reviewing this game!
Have you seen both Japanese and American commercials for sonic spinball?
The Japanese commercial is very lighthearted and cute!
The American commercial reminds me of listening to this song called “the mountain” by devildriver!
It’s fast it’s intense it’s loud it’s sonic spinball!
I loved it, it got me into pinball in general. Which I’m terrible at, but find fun!
When you pointed out how nobody ever makes it to stage two, that hurt. This game ruined me.
Sir - you are not giving enough credit to Spinball Boss theme... Now that is the tune I always looked forward too when playing this game.
That said, I always remember as a child, barely getting past Toxic Caves - having zero hope of even completing the second level. XD.
About the framerate thing!
The main pinball game and physics run at 30FPS. Which is weird, because there's OTHER pinball games on the system that run at a perfectly silky 60, and the _minigames_ inbetween stages DO run at the standard 60.
So it's likely a result of lack of optimization from this game being put together in C# as opposed to the more standard and better-optimized assembly of the time? But yeah, it doesn't exactly help the controls which are already floaty and weird by design.
Also I only ever managed to get to stage 3 as a kid, kinda got frustrated and couldn't find all the emeralds so I just stopped there.
I played it again early this year to _finally_ finish it and while it WAS cathartic finally getting to stage 4 and beating the final boss, uh... I wouldn't say it was a _very good_ experience exactly?
love this game, never managed to beat it.
as far as i can remember, i got to stage 3 once.
There is one more version of Spinball, the GBA port. It, as well as Ecco 1 and Golden Axe 1 were released on one cart as a Sega Smash Pack. The Golden Axe port was okay I guess but Spinball and especially Ecco were terrible. Screen crunch was the biggest issue with these ports and also the fact the music was limited. The Ecco port only had one song for the entire game. I never got far with it back in the day but I can only image how much more awful the "Welcome to the Machine" for Ecco or "The Showdown" for Spinball would be on it.
Imagine a sequel spinball with the newer comic characters
I've beaten this game once, then decided that was enough! I HAVE played it multiple times, but didn't take it seriously after that!
Still love this game though!
I do remember I once had an experience, where even before I removed the barriers on the first set of pipes to take you to the toxic part of the first stage, Sonic somehow janked his way into them, which caused me to soft-lock, because the toxic tank with the emerald wasn't drained yet! Though interestingly enough, I was able to get the other two emeralds, because the second set of pipes were not barricaded, and the barrels, that were supposed to be inside were missing!
Dang you somehow unlocked a hard mode haha
@@APixelatedMemory Well, there was still no way for me to get the third emerald, so it was still a soft-lock, as I had no way to get back down.
Ooh yeah true, dang
The options menu was pretty good after someone posted a version with fixed instruments, apparently it was bugged like the GBA version of SuperSponge
Yeah I remember seeing that be posted around some time ago! Sounded good even if a little strange because i'm used to how it normally is haha
Honestly, I havent beaten this game until I got SOnic Gems Collection lol. And even then, it was the GameGear version ive completed, and then got motivated to finish the MegaDrive/Genesis Version. Both games being hard as absolute hell but I do appreciate they made levels in both games unique. rather than a copy and paste
Except the final levels.
BOTH LEVEL DESIGNS ARE INSTAKILLS AT ANY GIVEN TURN! ESPECIALLY THE BOSS BATTLES THAT ARE ALREADY HARD TO REACH
I really should give the Master System/Game Gear version a go sometime.
Good to see you're not totally gone from RUclips.
Random question: how much of this footage was from your lets play as opposwd to new footage made for this video?
All new footage recorded just for the this video, wanted to have the opinions be fresh!
I grew up with spinball and I really like it, mostly because of the music and the aesthetics. The boss music in particular I really enjoy, even though there isn`t much to the bosses...
All in all, I really enjoyed this game... except for stage four. Stage four is bullshit, and I only ever beat it once, by cheating (don`t remember if I found a cheat code of some kind, or if I spammed save stated)
I never could get past the second level.
I always liked it
I could never get into this game. I always struggled getting Sonic where I wanted or needed to go. I'd always get frustrated with it and then quit.
Thanks john the antitoast
Why didn't you complete it sir? We all suffered through to the end!
liked before i even watched.
My sonic senes started to tickle someone uploaded video
Sonic game music being great has been consistent through the franchise.
Heck some franchises only have longevity BECAUSE their soundtracks are such bangers
Undertale is one such case for me. Generally stopped caring after your LP was done and nowadays my only engagement is listening to the ost and Toriel R34. :3
Aw, sad you didn't mention the secret bonus stage you can get to if you collect every ring in a level.
If you knew about it, that is. I only know because it took me so long to beat The Machine at first I managed to collect every ring in the level in the meantime.
Just looked it up, I have never seen that in my life and my mind is blown.
Is it a good Sonic game? No. Is a good pinball game? Kinda? I did really enjoy it as a kid. I can still make it the Showdown pretty consistently but never actually beat final Robotnik.
I'm reminded of when NerdCubed played this and just ended up finishing the game.
Or was that Sonic R..?
EDIT: It was Spinball and took him an hour
ruclips.net/video/HjV0qZ6f7ss/видео.html
Sonic 3d blast next c'mon blud
I wonder if spinball, has any rom hacks
Maybe, I do wonder what you could change in something like this, maybe different characters?
I have it, played, and finally passed it because it was Sonic. But the controls are bad, the drawings don't match the original (why??)
And yes, it is short of you know what you have to do, but if not... it's hours
Spinball is one of my favourite games in the series...up until level 4.
Showdown has to be the worst level in the franchise IMO; I would rather play Labyrinth and Wacky Workbench than Spinball's last level.
The showdown is the worse sonic stage in history look I respect spinball but half of the levels make me wanna throw my controller out the window