OK 2-player competitive

I got this for the 2-player competitive mode that first appeared in Sonic 2. That mode remains pretty fun, with the drawback that you have to play each level in 1-player before you can play it 2-player competitively. This is dumb, particularly since this is tied to each player profile. The 1-player game is pretty meh. Gone are the digestible levels of Sonic 1&2 -- now the levels are crazy long, and yet they kept the 10-minute timer. I don't have fun exploring these levels because they're so long, winding back and forth, so I just want to get to the end and be done with it. I was also hoping for the slot machines from Sonic 2 Casino Night Zone. I don't believe those have returned.