25 years? Man, time flies. I could say that SRB2 and I grew up together (more or less,) with me being born on the same year when Power Rangers made their television debut, the same year as Sonic CD where [NAMES REDACTED] made their debut on Sega CD. Good times are in store, but rather than talk about my life (since it's more of a first post gushing about how awesome this game is, and this is not the place for such matters) why not go over some fun mods that would hopefully grow alongside the game.
See, I made a oath to myself that I'll unlock all the characters and beat the game with all emeralds before using mods, as I explore the areas in the game, I had some fond moments where I was playing as Sonic Xtreme. Spin Slashing onto walls, spindashing up said walls, and jumping from wall to wall is so much fun! Adventure Sonic is a real hoot too, but sadly I couldn't use shield abilities as the button to spin does a bounce attack in mid air.
The gems mod that originated from Sonic 06 is also a good time, upgrading the gems from defeating enemies and using their powers are a blast! Though I should note that I normally assign the Fire button to use the gems. (Right Trigger on Xbox Core Controller) so Pipe Towers and abilities that requires the fire buttons is out of the question. Thankfully the Gems System is not used in Record Attack so it's just you and the record attack, leaving the custom gems at the door when you challenge for emblems.
And speaking of Sonic 06, Silver is a real slice as well! Using his Psychokinesis to pick up and throw enemies and objects around is a treat. And the simplicity of SRB2 makes it work in Silver's favor.
What? Shadow? Snapping to and fro the various zones looks to be neat. I haven't tried him yet but I'm sure it would be a great time. At least guns need not apply.
Chrispy's Pointy Sonic and Fluffy Tails is also fun, but sadly when Pointy Sonic goes Super his jump is replace by flight. The Super Form's challenges regarding platforming comes from their out of control speeds, jumps and handling. If you're able to fly at will once you turn Super Pointy Sonic then what is even the point of said platforming challenge? Other than that, Looking forward to Boxy Knuckles by the way Chrispy, keep up the good work, but know that I'll disable the Super Form if I get the chance and a lua script to do so.
Roger Van Der Wilde's level sets are amusing. His IMP Christmas Level have you knocking the enemies into walls to truly defeat them. Though his interactive episode doesn't work in OpenGL, I've watched his playthough of his creation and found it to be fun.
The 3D Models are a real treat too! Since Sonic never had a proper Sega Saturn game, the 3D Models are a treat regarding how they look and how they play as well.
SRB2Kart? It's a blast! Racing through various tracks, bopping your head to the music as you race through the games, though I wonder if Dr. Robotnik's Ring Racers would be able to apply the custom colors? Other than that, I am looking forward to Ring Racers.
And the challenge runs that are popping up in the mods sections. Such as a time limit rule, the Super Sonic Suicide Run challenge, and a host of other challenge is something I'll give a shot.
(If I happen to go over the ten minute mark in a stage, I could practically imagine a "YOU SUCK" message like that of Doom proper.)
Ringslinger? If I could get better internet, then yes, I'll give multiplayer a whirl. Until then, I'll just stick to bots for the time being.
But yes, I'll be looking forward to what the community have in store for us all. And NiGHTS Special Stages? A nice touch since Sonic X-Treme was going to use the NiGHTS into Dreams engine, before Yuji Naka threatened to quit Sega. But with what I talked about regard the character of Sonic XTreme is that of a reasonable interpretation of what the game would have played.
Yes, I read the rules, yes, I'll abide by them, no, I don't use discord, and no, I am not going to give you my communication links. (They're personal after all.)
Here's to SRB2 continuing awesomeness.