Sonic 1 vs. Mario World

[j_factor]

It doesn't matter if it had original ideas or not. Not all of the elements that made Sonic distinct and the source of much copying were original to it. Sonic borrowed from Castle of Illusion and Sega's own Psycho Fox. Yet, any elements of Psycho Fox that went on to be used in other games did so via Sonic, and we don't generally call anything a rip-off of Psycho Fox. Likewise, if a game plays and looks like Super Mario World, I'm going to say it was influenced by that, regardless of where those elements originally appeared.

More games from 1992 on used more thematic and sylistic and gameplay elements that appeared in Sonic the Hedgehog than in Super Mario World.

[substantial_snake]

Emotionally Sonic 1 hands down. It was one of my favorite games back when it was still new and it retains that spot today. I love the music, colorful design, and precise timing and reflexes needed to really nail a speed run in this game.

Objectively SMB World hands down. Its overall a longer and more challenging game that you can really sink your teeth into over time. There are tons of things to discover and explore where as in Sonic its mostly a linear affair you can complete in under an hour. I'm sure had I owned a SNES versus a Genesis back in the day their would be no contest in between these two games.

I honestly don't feel like its a fair comparison however based on comparing a polished title in a mature franchise versus a upcoming first title in a franchise. SMB World is IMO one of the best platformers ever and the best overall Mario game I've played and comparing the two just seems...weighted. A comparison between SMB World and Sonic 2 or Sonic 3 & Knuckles (yes its one damn game) would be much harder for me at least.

[Drixxel]

More games from 1992 on used more thematic and sylistic and gameplay elements that appeared in Sonic the Hedgehog than in Super Mario World.

There was certainly a dearth of mascot-focused platformers that followed in Sonic's wake and, yeah, it was as much their marketing that bears a resemblance to Sonic as their overall design. Attempts at a franchise-building hero had obviously been tried before but Sonic and his "attitude" ushered in a particular kind of '90s fad. While there's the occasional game like Kid Chameleon which straddles the line between Sonic's "cool" and Mario's "sprawl", the majority of attempts that come to mind include the likes of Aero the Acro-bat, Bubsy, and Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel which are more about aping Sonic's attitude than anything.

Sonic was certainly influential but it's hard to say if that influence is warmly regarded when you consider the mascot detritus that it spawned.

[NerdXCrewWill]

Was I the only one who found that Super Mario World was a much faster game overall? Sure, Sonic runs really fast . . . for like one level. As someone else mentioned, Sonic slows to a complete crawl in many levels of the original five games. The Sonic Advance series, on the other hand, keeps up the pace much better.

Sonic 1 doesn't really have anything nearly as interesting as Super Mario World, in terms of level design. I will admit though, that Sonic does seem to have a lot less linear levels because they involve more layers of platforms vertically than the majority of SMW's levels. I think the level design suffers from slowdown. Sonic's movement is based around momentum, but most of the time you don't have much space to run before you encounter something that stops you. Much of the gameplay is stop and go.

I think Sonic CD stands up to Super Mario World's level design much better. It's still not as good, though.

[crazyjackcsa]

Was I the only one who found that Super Mario World was a much faster game overall? Sure, Sonic runs really fast . . . for like one level. As someone else mentioned, Sonic slows to a complete crawl in many levels of the original five games. The Sonic Advance series, on the other hand, keeps up the pace much better.

Sonic 1 doesn't really have anything nearly as interesting as Super Mario World, in terms of level design. I will admit though, that Sonic does seem to have a lot less linear levels because they involve more layers of platforms vertically than the majority of SMW's levels. I think the level design suffers from slowdown. Sonic's movement is based around momentum, but most of the time you don't have much space to run before you encounter something that stops you. Much of the gameplay is stop and go.

I think Sonic CD stands up to Super Mario World's level design much better. It's still not as good, though.

Yes, yes you were. As was pointed out, some people use Mario's run as the default speed ( I am one of them) I will grant you that Super Mario World offers more unique stages, but from a level to level basis, there is far more going on in Sonic's world. Multiple paths for each level, multiple switch point in each level to (to travel from various paths, )

More frequent boss fights, the search for rings to access special stages, a sweet reward for completing the special stages (In Sonic 2 and beyond).

Sonic and Mario is a battle for the ages, that's for sure.

[treismac]

I never fell for Sonic the way I did for Super Mario World. While I enjoy Sonic, I absolutely love Super Mario World. The addition of the cape and Yoshi filled the Mario universe with awe once again, and the ability to save made exploration of the game a savory mission as you unlock the game's many secrets. I think my love of the past Marios greatly impacted my affection for the fourth (at least in America, right?) in the series. I had history with Mario. Sonic? There was no nostalgia there nor highly anticipated return of an old friend. In fact, the whole "cool" angle Sega tried to market Sonic with as their new edgy mascot struck me as lame. A fun game? Yes. But no Mario. Sonic is, however, a very visually attractive flagship that, unfortunately, lead Sega to where it is today.

[The 1 2 P]

I'd have to say Sonic, mainly because I've hardly played Super Mario World and the parts I did play didn't give me the impression it was a better game than Sonic. One day I'll have to play thru the entire game.

[Leo_A]

I've always felt like Super Mario World was the much better game of the two. I've replayed that countless times over the years to 100% completion, but have only bothered playing through Sonic a few times over the years (And just once with all the emeralds).

[exit]

I was never a big fan of Sonic, I enjoyed playing the games, but it didn't always "do it" for me. I guess because the games sometimes felt cheap to me and had a hard time playing them at a younger age as a result. I was always a bigger Mario fan anyway and enjoyed just about every Mario game that's been released, so naturally I'll have to go with SMW.

[kedawa]

I think Sonic just felt more like an arcade game.

[Rob2600]

I received an SNES for Christmas in 1991 and loved Super Mario World. I was a huge fan of the NES trilogy and had high expectations. Super Mario World lived up to all of them.

A year later, I finally played Sonic the Hedgehog on my friend's Genesis. After all the huge hype, I was disappointed. I kept asking him, "How do I go really fast like in the commercial??" I guess Sega's commercials were misleading.

Looking back, I'd say Super Mario World is a well thought-out, finely-crafted classic, whereas Sonic the Hedgehog is a standard platformer that happened to be backed by Sega's marketing.

[Baloo]

Sonic 1 for me. While I've played through both games to completion, Super Mario World never really tickled my fancy. The game is a bit TOO long for a Mario game, and the levels are just kind of...boring. I prefer Super Mario Bros. 3 in that aspect. That's not to say it's a bad game, just not my favorite entry in the Mario series.

Sonic 1 on the other hand is one of my favorite games in the Sonic series. The levels are a good balance of speed and puzzle/platforming elements, and it brings something a bit fresher to the table in comparison to most of the platformers of it's time, like Kid Chameleon, and M.C. Kids, and the Mario series, etc. etc. There's just something about Sonic 1 that's very fun, vibrant, and cool.

[Rob2600]

Super Mario World never really tickled my fancy. The game is a bit TOO long for a Mario game, and the levels are just kind of...boring. I prefer Super Mario Bros. 3 in that aspect.

Too long? One reason I like Super Mario World more than SMB3 is its save feature. That makes a huge difference. Even as a child, I rarely had the time (or patience) to make it all the way through SMB3 in one sitting.

And I'd say without warping, SMB3 probably takes as long to beat.

[crazyjackcsa]

Hard to believe that 20 years later, we're still fighting about this. Good to see everybody sticking hard to their favorite without conceding that both are great games that offer a unique experience.

[tom]

SMW was easy, Sonic 1 was not, weird me, but I like easy games.

[jwmollman]

I grew up with Super Mario World, so I'll have to vote for that one. I like the idea of replaying levels, the massive world, the different "areas" of levels down the pipes, etc.

I always knew Sonic existed, but we never had a Genesis when I was a kid, so I never had the chance to really see what the game was like. I really only had the chance to play at dentist's offices or something. I only started getting into Sonic (still not as much as Super Mario World) until a few years ago when I began collecting. But still, my vote goes to Super Mario World.

[NayusDante]

I really only had the chance to play at dentist's offices or something.

What is it with dentists and the Genesis? That was my exposure to Sonic as well...

Sonic definitely has more precise timing, and for me that's actually a minus. I much prefer the freedom of motion you have in SMW. You can be good at SMW and not just be hitting the right buttons on a schedule, it's more reactive.

[RPG_Fanatic]

If you asked me in 1991 I would have said Sonic but now playing both I would have to say Mario is a shit load better.

[retroman]

Wow..a hard choice...I love both games, but i will give it to Sonic because it took Sega and the Genesis to a new level which it really was kicking Nintendo's butt. The graphics were the best for the Genny at that time, the gameplay was easy for anyone to pickup, but hard to put down..

[Nz17]

Sonic The Hedgehog was technically better. I also liked it better back then. But Mario World has much higher replayability, level count, and has held up better with time.

I've played Sonic 1 a ton, and deservedly so. But after all these years of playing it, if given a choice I'd play Mario World just because it has more levels, you can easily replay any level you want, and I've played it for a total of less hours than Sonic 1.