Metool_Man
"I am the real Sonic!- not."
First off, look at my signature under my post. That is my stance.
Secondly, let's lay some terminology out.
The Spinattack is when Sonic curls up into a ball and rolls forward.
Spindash is when Sonic revs up and launches off.
The Boost is when Sonic blasts forward instantly, using a meter as he does.
Usually, the Spindash is both referring to the ability to charge it, and the ability to curl up. Here I want to differentiate them, for readability's sake.
Thirdly, this post is loooooong, and provides insight on a lot of my thoughts. Please leave if you have no attention spam, save yourself.
And finally, I'm very aware this post probably won't get much interaction, but I'm gonna put it out there anyways.
Alright, let's get into the discussion.
The Spinattack was Sonic's signature ability when he was first created - hence why he was a hedgehog rather than a bunny. It was his thing! It carried over into the second game, Sonic 2, where he also gained the ability to rev it up from a standstill - called the Spindash - providing an easy way to gain speed if you're stuck somewhere, supplying Sonic games with a bigger sense of speed WHILE STILL rewarding reaction, keeping momentum up, and a bit of memorization.
In Sonic 3 & Knuckles, nothing changed. Nor did it in the Chaotix. Other than CD, the Spindash always behaved the same, until the 3D games came across.
Sonic Adventure 1 mapped the Spindash to one button and changed its functionality a bit. Hold the Action Button - which we'll be referring to as B - to charge up a Spindash, so you can start charging at any speed. Holding it charges it automatically, unlike the classic games where you would mash the button. Then, once you release B, Sonic blasts off into a Spinattack. You can tap B to uncurl - a new mechanic, as in the classic games you had to jump out - or jump out of the Spindash. It was an incredible tool for traversal, speed, and just generally platforming. The ability was iconic, absolutely exclusive to Sonic. If any other game TRIED to do something similar, it would immediately be pointed out as a Spindash. In short, it was plain fun to use, was iconic, and served Sonic's gameplay tremendously. You couldn't have a Sonic game without a Spindash.
The sequel, Sonic Adventure 2, took the Adventure series in a bit of a different direction. The stages were noticeably more linear, and the Spindash was nerfed by requiring the player to hold B for a considerable amount of time before Sonic began revving, counteracting the famous Spamdash present in SA1, where you could repeatedly tap B to gain incredible speed. Instead, when quickly tapping B, Sonic used an incredibly slow somersault, used to squeeze under gaps. This was done poorly. If they were to nerf the Spamdash, the best way to do so is that quickly tapping B gained you no speed and only caused Sonic to curl in. It would have been incredibly easy to program as well, as you would only need to delay when the charging timer for the Spindash starts incrementing for maybe 5 - 6 frames.
Side note - that game needed a second Action Button, putting it all on B didn't work for the more complicated moveset Sonic had in SA2 compared to SA1. I know Sonic, back in that time, came packaged with incredibly simple controls, but in SA2, it was to its determent. That's why I mod it to remap actions, but that's beside the point.
Then we have Sonic Heroes. The first game brave enough the deviate from the tradition Spindash. May I introduce... the ROCKET ACCEL!
...meh.
You see, I have a weird issue with variations of abilities like this.
When an ability is introduced to a character's kit, sometimes it becomes a staple. And then sometimes, variations on this ability are introduced. Cool! But then I have a problem when the variation replaces the original ability's place. It just feels off. It feels like something is missing - like Bowser being able to breathe fire generically but having no fireball. I'M LOOKING AT YOU, SMASH.
This also kinda relates to why I dislike Sega's official Classic Amy moveset. It also relates back to their misunderstanding of the Dropdash.
Sega gave Amy a new ability for Superstars and Origins - the Hammer Rush. This move is pretty creative, and heeds to the Classic Sonic moveset philosophy - everybody controls the same, with the exception of a special ability by tapping A in the air. The problem is, it's a confusing, knock-off Dropdash.
Amy jumps into the air, falls down, and repeatedly slams her hammer into the ground. Why does she need to go into the air for this ability? I'd actually quite like it if this was tied to a Super-Peelout. In fact, I would kinda like the Super-Peelout to be reintroduced if they ever were to do another Classic game, for symmetry with the Spindash. Anyways, I have problems with abilities tied to being in the air that have nothing to do with the air.
"But then why do you love the Dropdash so much?"
Because it's an expansion on the Spindash, preformed in a manner that makes a lot of sense. Plus, sometimes I DON'T like the Dropdash, namely the times recently where Sonic Team has stuck it in random games that weren't designed for it, and also didn't even bother to implement the actual Spindash, harboring back to my issue with variants of abilities replacing the main one.
The Dropdash was genius because it emphasized Sonic's speed, mastery of the Spindash, and that Sonic's built to traverse the GROUND. He is not an aerial-focused character, he's at home on the ground, unlike Tails' or Knuckles' abilities, which focus on the air. Sonic's aerial ability is meant to expand on his GROUND traversal, as it doesn't affect him in any way UNTIL he hits the ground. It allowed Sonic to rev a Spindash in the air and release it as soon as he hit the ground. It made him the fastest character, WITHOUT outright buffing his speed. It's the perfect Sonic ability, unlike the odd Insta-Shield ability they included in Sonic 3 & Knuckles.
Sonic Team misunderstands the genius and just sticks it into every Sonic game. Except Shadow Generations, weirdly enough. You can reactivate it with an HMM code. I wonder if modders can port the Spinboost and make a Spindash mod for Shadow Gens...
Anyways, I don't have much to say on the Rocket Accel. Heroes was just a really weird game.
Anyways, after that, the Spindash returned. Namely, in Shadow 2005. It used the same engine as Sonic Heroes... and I kinda see why they DIDN'T opt for the Spindash. It feels pretty bad here. Heck, the entirety of these 2 games feel kinda bad to control. They sorta lost grip on Sonic.
...and then Sonic 2006 was released. Yikes.
Sonic 2006 was a major turning point in the Sonic franchise. That's what it was always supposed to be... it was just supposed to be a positive change, not a negative one.
Sega shat the bed with this one. And it's ABSOLUTELY Sega's fault, not Sonic Team's. They needed a title for 2006, one of Sonic's anniversaries, and rushed the game out before they even had a CHANCE to put it in the oven. The gameplay was slow, clunky and unpolished, the game as a whole was riddled with bugs, and story was plain awful, at least for Sonic, the loading screens were extremely unoptimized, so on and so on. Everybody knows this game is bad, even the people who defend it with their life. They are BLINDED by nostalgia, those people.
After this, Sonic Team developed a REAAAALY bad habit. If an idea doesn't quite work the first time, trash it ENTIRELY.
And then, they trashed the Adventure style.
After a while, they released a new Sonic game. A new game, that controlled COMPLETELY differently. They released Sonic Unleashed.
The controls here are a bit different. You use the A button to jump, of course. But now you can also shorthop.
On B was the... SLIDE!? Sliding? Why is Sonic SLIDING? His thing is curling up into a ball! Why would he SLIDE?
Then on X was the fabled Boost. The button that launched Sonic to top speed as soon as he touched it. And also, the Homing Attack for some reason, but we don't talk about that.
This was the new gameplay style. Sonic blasted through stages at top speed, reacting to obstacles as they come. At first, it doesn't sound too different, but it really is. Having a go-fast button fundamentally betrays what made Sonic so fun originally. Sonic was about building and maintaining speed throughout the entirety of the stage.
"But the Spindash in the 3D games is the same! You hold B and release to blast off!"
You make a good point on the surface, but let's dig a little deeper into both mechanics.
___
The Boost allows Sonic to hold the X button to launch off instantly at insane speeds, automatically bursting through enemies and is the state you wanna be in constantly.
The Spindash allows Sonic to hold the B button to charge up a Spindash and launch forward, allowing Sonic to damage enemies, gain more speed from rolling downhill, and make big jumps to skip and cut time off.
___
One of the MAIN differences lies in where you use them. In Boost games, your main goal is to constantly be Boosting, while the Spindash assists in your platforming endeavors. For another point of why the Spindash and Boost are so dissimilar, imagine Sonic Unleashed and Sonic Adventure in your head. Now, give Adventure Sonic the Boost and Unleashed Sonic the Spindash. Pretty different, right?
I am plenty aware that many others have explained the differences between the two better than me, and I implore you to search online for other opinions, as I find it quite difficult to articulate.
Plus, there are other points to make, like how the Boost makes the Spindash pointless, or how the Boost also betrays building speed, or even discussion of future games, like Shadow Generations or Sonic Frontiers, or that the Spindash is outdated, but it really comes down to the one question.
Boost or Spindash?
Secondly, let's lay some terminology out.
The Spinattack is when Sonic curls up into a ball and rolls forward.
Spindash is when Sonic revs up and launches off.
The Boost is when Sonic blasts forward instantly, using a meter as he does.
Usually, the Spindash is both referring to the ability to charge it, and the ability to curl up. Here I want to differentiate them, for readability's sake.
Thirdly, this post is loooooong, and provides insight on a lot of my thoughts. Please leave if you have no attention spam, save yourself.
And finally, I'm very aware this post probably won't get much interaction, but I'm gonna put it out there anyways.
Alright, let's get into the discussion.
The Spinattack was Sonic's signature ability when he was first created - hence why he was a hedgehog rather than a bunny. It was his thing! It carried over into the second game, Sonic 2, where he also gained the ability to rev it up from a standstill - called the Spindash - providing an easy way to gain speed if you're stuck somewhere, supplying Sonic games with a bigger sense of speed WHILE STILL rewarding reaction, keeping momentum up, and a bit of memorization.
In Sonic 3 & Knuckles, nothing changed. Nor did it in the Chaotix. Other than CD, the Spindash always behaved the same, until the 3D games came across.
Sonic Adventure 1 mapped the Spindash to one button and changed its functionality a bit. Hold the Action Button - which we'll be referring to as B - to charge up a Spindash, so you can start charging at any speed. Holding it charges it automatically, unlike the classic games where you would mash the button. Then, once you release B, Sonic blasts off into a Spinattack. You can tap B to uncurl - a new mechanic, as in the classic games you had to jump out - or jump out of the Spindash. It was an incredible tool for traversal, speed, and just generally platforming. The ability was iconic, absolutely exclusive to Sonic. If any other game TRIED to do something similar, it would immediately be pointed out as a Spindash. In short, it was plain fun to use, was iconic, and served Sonic's gameplay tremendously. You couldn't have a Sonic game without a Spindash.
The sequel, Sonic Adventure 2, took the Adventure series in a bit of a different direction. The stages were noticeably more linear, and the Spindash was nerfed by requiring the player to hold B for a considerable amount of time before Sonic began revving, counteracting the famous Spamdash present in SA1, where you could repeatedly tap B to gain incredible speed. Instead, when quickly tapping B, Sonic used an incredibly slow somersault, used to squeeze under gaps. This was done poorly. If they were to nerf the Spamdash, the best way to do so is that quickly tapping B gained you no speed and only caused Sonic to curl in. It would have been incredibly easy to program as well, as you would only need to delay when the charging timer for the Spindash starts incrementing for maybe 5 - 6 frames.
Side note - that game needed a second Action Button, putting it all on B didn't work for the more complicated moveset Sonic had in SA2 compared to SA1. I know Sonic, back in that time, came packaged with incredibly simple controls, but in SA2, it was to its determent. That's why I mod it to remap actions, but that's beside the point.
Then we have Sonic Heroes. The first game brave enough the deviate from the tradition Spindash. May I introduce... the ROCKET ACCEL!
...meh.
You see, I have a weird issue with variations of abilities like this.
When an ability is introduced to a character's kit, sometimes it becomes a staple. And then sometimes, variations on this ability are introduced. Cool! But then I have a problem when the variation replaces the original ability's place. It just feels off. It feels like something is missing - like Bowser being able to breathe fire generically but having no fireball. I'M LOOKING AT YOU, SMASH.
This also kinda relates to why I dislike Sega's official Classic Amy moveset. It also relates back to their misunderstanding of the Dropdash.
Sega gave Amy a new ability for Superstars and Origins - the Hammer Rush. This move is pretty creative, and heeds to the Classic Sonic moveset philosophy - everybody controls the same, with the exception of a special ability by tapping A in the air. The problem is, it's a confusing, knock-off Dropdash.
Amy jumps into the air, falls down, and repeatedly slams her hammer into the ground. Why does she need to go into the air for this ability? I'd actually quite like it if this was tied to a Super-Peelout. In fact, I would kinda like the Super-Peelout to be reintroduced if they ever were to do another Classic game, for symmetry with the Spindash. Anyways, I have problems with abilities tied to being in the air that have nothing to do with the air.
"But then why do you love the Dropdash so much?"
Because it's an expansion on the Spindash, preformed in a manner that makes a lot of sense. Plus, sometimes I DON'T like the Dropdash, namely the times recently where Sonic Team has stuck it in random games that weren't designed for it, and also didn't even bother to implement the actual Spindash, harboring back to my issue with variants of abilities replacing the main one.
The Dropdash was genius because it emphasized Sonic's speed, mastery of the Spindash, and that Sonic's built to traverse the GROUND. He is not an aerial-focused character, he's at home on the ground, unlike Tails' or Knuckles' abilities, which focus on the air. Sonic's aerial ability is meant to expand on his GROUND traversal, as it doesn't affect him in any way UNTIL he hits the ground. It allowed Sonic to rev a Spindash in the air and release it as soon as he hit the ground. It made him the fastest character, WITHOUT outright buffing his speed. It's the perfect Sonic ability, unlike the odd Insta-Shield ability they included in Sonic 3 & Knuckles.
Sonic Team misunderstands the genius and just sticks it into every Sonic game. Except Shadow Generations, weirdly enough. You can reactivate it with an HMM code. I wonder if modders can port the Spinboost and make a Spindash mod for Shadow Gens...
Anyways, I don't have much to say on the Rocket Accel. Heroes was just a really weird game.
Anyways, after that, the Spindash returned. Namely, in Shadow 2005. It used the same engine as Sonic Heroes... and I kinda see why they DIDN'T opt for the Spindash. It feels pretty bad here. Heck, the entirety of these 2 games feel kinda bad to control. They sorta lost grip on Sonic.
...and then Sonic 2006 was released. Yikes.
Sonic 2006 was a major turning point in the Sonic franchise. That's what it was always supposed to be... it was just supposed to be a positive change, not a negative one.
Sega shat the bed with this one. And it's ABSOLUTELY Sega's fault, not Sonic Team's. They needed a title for 2006, one of Sonic's anniversaries, and rushed the game out before they even had a CHANCE to put it in the oven. The gameplay was slow, clunky and unpolished, the game as a whole was riddled with bugs, and story was plain awful, at least for Sonic, the loading screens were extremely unoptimized, so on and so on. Everybody knows this game is bad, even the people who defend it with their life. They are BLINDED by nostalgia, those people.
After this, Sonic Team developed a REAAAALY bad habit. If an idea doesn't quite work the first time, trash it ENTIRELY.
And then, they trashed the Adventure style.
After a while, they released a new Sonic game. A new game, that controlled COMPLETELY differently. They released Sonic Unleashed.
The controls here are a bit different. You use the A button to jump, of course. But now you can also shorthop.
On B was the... SLIDE!? Sliding? Why is Sonic SLIDING? His thing is curling up into a ball! Why would he SLIDE?
Then on X was the fabled Boost. The button that launched Sonic to top speed as soon as he touched it. And also, the Homing Attack for some reason, but we don't talk about that.
This was the new gameplay style. Sonic blasted through stages at top speed, reacting to obstacles as they come. At first, it doesn't sound too different, but it really is. Having a go-fast button fundamentally betrays what made Sonic so fun originally. Sonic was about building and maintaining speed throughout the entirety of the stage.
"But the Spindash in the 3D games is the same! You hold B and release to blast off!"
You make a good point on the surface, but let's dig a little deeper into both mechanics.
___
The Boost allows Sonic to hold the X button to launch off instantly at insane speeds, automatically bursting through enemies and is the state you wanna be in constantly.
The Spindash allows Sonic to hold the B button to charge up a Spindash and launch forward, allowing Sonic to damage enemies, gain more speed from rolling downhill, and make big jumps to skip and cut time off.
___
One of the MAIN differences lies in where you use them. In Boost games, your main goal is to constantly be Boosting, while the Spindash assists in your platforming endeavors. For another point of why the Spindash and Boost are so dissimilar, imagine Sonic Unleashed and Sonic Adventure in your head. Now, give Adventure Sonic the Boost and Unleashed Sonic the Spindash. Pretty different, right?
I am plenty aware that many others have explained the differences between the two better than me, and I implore you to search online for other opinions, as I find it quite difficult to articulate.
Plus, there are other points to make, like how the Boost makes the Spindash pointless, or how the Boost also betrays building speed, or even discussion of future games, like Shadow Generations or Sonic Frontiers, or that the Spindash is outdated, but it really comes down to the one question.
Boost or Spindash?
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