SA1 was decent enough at times, but then again it was also pretty poor sometimes too - that sodding Casino will forever be etched into my head.
Still, at a time when Sonic had never before been represented in 3D in his own game - not the compilations and cameos on the Saturn - it was rather good fun, with a decent cast list for its time and a damn good soundtrack. Red Mountain and Skydeck were two of the best stages in not only that game, but any 3D Sonic title to date, in my view. It was also great to see various forms of Metal Sonic - even one that had the eyes of Sonic The Comic's Super Sonic - in Robotnik's lair.
Sonic only became crap to me after the DC died as far as I'm concerned. A wobbly and often iffy leap to 3D, followed by a solid and pretty good sequel, followed by bad sequel after bad sequel.