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So apparently Sonic CD is coming to Xbox Live Arcade. This is a good thing; new generations of gamers who may have missed it the first time around can sit back, relax, and experience what is by far one of the worst, monstrously overrated 2D platformers ever made.

I've had the misfortune of playing through Sonic CD in its entirety several times in my life, from its initial release on a friend's Sega CD to the version on the GameCube Sonic collection whose name escapes me (it's the same one with the Sonic arcade fighter). Every time, a question came to mind: "why is this game so beloved?"

Its level design is absolutely atrocious. Play any good Sonic game. They're rare, I know, but here's the definitive list: Sonic 2, Sonic 3 & Knuckles, Sonic Advance 1, Sonic Advance 3, and… that's it. Seriously, the rest (including every 3D title) are mediocre at best and prime examples of how NOT to make games at worst.

Anywho, play one of the good ones.

First thing you'll notice if you're not outright delusional: all are less about racing and more about solid platforming, the great secret of Classic Sonic that Sega — and most of Sonic's fanbase — completely forgot.

Second thing: in the aforementioned good Sonic games, the level design flows. You're first presented with levels that give you ample time and space to practice your characters' abilities (e.g., Emerald Hill, Route 99). You learn about the physics of Sonic; gravity and slopes have a huge impact on his movement (this is half the reason Sonic 4 is a mammoth disappointment), enemies get hurt when you're spinning, your jumping momentum is a big deal, all that jazz.

Here's where Sonic CD falls flat on its face: there's no flow. Every new zone is a mess of platforming chaos, every level seemingly trying to trump the last's awful design. Palmtree Panic, the first zone, is a warning of what to expect; haphazardly scattered platforms that would make a bad Megaman Powered Up custom level designer shake his head. Wacky Workbench is the worst offender; the entire bottom of the level launches you up into a mess of precarious catwalks, and to make it to the end you have to generate horizontal movement in tight spaces to get under the various overhangs (it's even worse on screen then in text).

And god forbid you try to get the game's time rings (the Chaos Emerald equivalent); you're thrust into SNES-esque Mode 7 racetracks where Sonic kinda controls like Super Mario Kart if Mario Kart was programmed by the game developer analog of Uwe Boll. And god double-forbid if you try to "make a good future" in any level: tag a Past/Future signpost, build up speed in the horribly laid out levels (PROTIP: few are conducive to intuitive building up of speed), and pray to whatever deity you believe in something doesn't stop you at the last second, or TOO BAD YOU BETTER HOPE THERE'S ANOTHER SIGN IN THE LEVEL. ANGER AND RAGE.

Also, the Future signs are completely useless; you don't ever need to visit either the bad or good future, like, ever. Ever. Avoid those signs like the plague; you'll see the future during the third boss act of each zone.

In short: the game is severely lacking. That's not even getting into the drab visuals (the game has a less vibrant color palette than the original Sonic the Hedgehog on Sega Genesis) and the boring tunes (and yes, I'm talking about both the English and Japanese soundtracks).

Yet, go find any "top X Sonic games" list on the internet, anywhere. Sonic CD consistently not only places, but often outright tops these lists! What is that about?

I've played Sonic CD several times with as open a mind as reasonably possible, and every time I run into every aforementioned problem and come out hating the game even more. And I haven't found or heard one reasonable argument in Sonic CD's favor: just assertions that it's apparently awesome (though it isn't) and I'm wrong (though why, exactly, seems to be a mystery).

I guess Sonic CD's popularity is just one of those huge mysteries of the universe. I guess it's not the first totally overrated game elevated to the echelons of greatness, and it sure as hell won't be the last. See also: anything with "Smash Bros." in its title.

Carlos Alexandre is a self-described handsome fat man. He ponders his entertainment, and you can find said ponderings on both his website and the podcast he co-hosts.