Does the Mascot Era Hold What Gaming Has Been Missing? (op/ed)

Not the face I expected to think of when
considering the king of modern platformers*

So who called Rayman being the character to star in the two of the best side scrolling platformers ever made? If you raise your hand you're a goddamn liar. The Rabbids had more exposure than him.

Then, lo and behold, Rayman Origins released and suddenly Rayman was cool, possibly for the first time. Bright, clean, colorful graphics, responsive control, excellent co-op, tons of secrets, bitchin' level design, challenge factor, especially if you made it all the way to Land of the Livid Dead. The game had it all. Then Legends came along and somehow took it even further.

Rayman is kind of an anamoly these days. At some point early in the previous decade, the idea of the video game mascot just sort of died off. It wouldn't be a stretch to say the jump to 3D models and environments is what did it; even Sonic, a king of the 2D era, took years to finally get it right. Several saw their franchises die with a bad 3D entry.

Times change, of course. We finally got out heads out of our collective asses on the whole 3D thing. So isn't it about time for a comeback?

Seriously, gaming's missing something these days. Nowadays it's all about guns and war. Drab, dull soldiers running around drab, dull, brown landscapes shooting drab, dull enemies. I've never been against those type of games and have enjoyed my fair share but it makes for most of the industries modern output. Not helping matters is the fact that the shooter has become a safe bet; video game companies got the idea in their heads that anything that isn't a First Person Shooter is a tough sell and adjusted accordingly.

Lately, I find I've drifted away from that. What catches my eye these days is the colorful, the crazy, the out there idea, even in modern genres. It's no secret that I'm not a huge fan of GTA IV, a game that, in its quest to tell a serious, heavy story about the nature of the American Dream, kind of forgot it was supposed to be fun. Then I discovered Saints Row the Third, an entry in a franchise I had previously dismissed. It was off the chain. Any and everything could happen. The laws of physics might not apply, zombies might show up, you might hang out with a luchador or a pimp that speaks in autotune. It was bombastic, crazy and unafraid to throw the rules out the window if it might make for a good time. But more than that, it was fun. It was everything Grand Theft Auto used to be.

It's not an isolated incident. I've retained my love for Sonic the Hedgehog, a franchise that's finally embraced what it used to be and stopped trying to be so damn serious. Rayman has obviously won my heart. I wasn't thrilled with how far back it threw, but Mega Man 9 was decent and 10 was godly. The Katamari games never innovate, but they're consistently wacky and always a good time. Bionic Commando: ReArmed was excellent. Then we have Ducktales and Castle of Illusion finding themselves remade for modern day.

You'll notice a pattern here. Truth is, a lot of the things I love about these games were the norm back in the 90's. You know, back when family friendly mascots ruled the game systems.

Lest you think I'm just being nostalgic, I assure you I'm not viewing this with rose tinted glasses. I remember the duds. Seemed like everyone was in a rush to rip Sonic the Hedgehog off wholesale in the hopes of getting a fraction of his sales, leading to abominations like Bubsy. I don't forget the blatant advertising, either; people bitch about it in modern games, but back then they'd make entire games centered around the mascots for soda or cheese crunchies. Most of them sucked**.

But then... how often did we get a winner out of the deal? Guys like Sonic, Mario and Mega Man go without saying***. But what about Sparkster (or Rocket Knight if you prefer)? Or guys like Earthworm Jim, whose world had all the wacky hijinks and off the wall humor you could handle? He's fallen far since then, but everyone loves the first three Crash Bandicoot games. Spyro had a great trilogy, too. They've never been my thing, but many swore by the Banjo Kazooie games. Vectorman? Bomberman? The modern age had a few great ones too, with fare like Sly Cooper and Jak picking up the slack.

I recognize there's a sound argument to be made that if I got my way, we'd be trading one set of samey crap for another. But think about it. Even the duds rarely resembled each other in look, style or design. Take your modern shooters, on the other hand; at times, it's difficult to tell them apart. Do we really need another Tom Clancy? Call of Duty? Generic Shooter #476? Is there anything substantial enough to set each of them apart?

I don't know about you, but I'd rather have a crapload of colorful mascots traversing diverse, out there world, even if half of them were crap, as opposed to a crapload of drab, boring shooters that look and play the exact same. Doesn't it get depressing, looking at all that brown? All those dark colors? I'm tired of depressing. I want fun.

* Yes, I'm going to far as to say Rayman's dethroned Mario, at least for the time being. Think about it. When's the last time a Mario game felt particularly inspired? Or even fresh? The first Galaxy? Maybe the second, which refined and polished everything that made the first one great. Since then, it's mostly been a revival of sub-brands like Land and World. Even Mario's recent return to 2D - New Super Mario Brothers - simply cannot hold a candle to Rayman's recent offerings. Nintendo needs to step it up.

** Cool Spot's one of the few exceptions, but his games are remembered better than they actually were. There's a difference between being a good game and a great one, a distinction few make when it comes to Cool Spot. But that's splitting hairs; they're better than you'd expect a blatant product advertisement to be, which we can probably thank David Perry and Tommy Tallarico for.

*** Even if Mega Man's all but dropped off the map thanks to a hissy fit Capcom threw when Keji Inafune left the company.

Sonic Retrospective: The Classic Era Spinoffs

Continuing my retrospective of the Blue Blur and his games, this time we're venturing into spinoff territory.

Like Mario, Sonic has had plenty of spinoffs. Make no mistake, back when I was a kid and Sonic was red hot, I salivated for more of my favorite blue hedgehog. That's, of course, what they were counting on, because what's better than a kid wanting more of your franchise - regardless of quality - and getting the parents - who don't know any better and just want to make the kid happy - picking it up?

Luckily, it was hardly all bad in the classic era. He had some clunkers, for sure, but I often got enjoyment out of them. Make no mistake, however; the track record in the spinoff department was hardly as sterling as the core titles.

For the purposes of this one, I'm counting all the spinoffs straight up to 1999. As you're probably aware, the classic series essentially ended in 1994 with the release of Sonic & Knuckles. For one reason or another - like the dissolution of STI or the storied train wreck that was Sonic Xtremes development - a core Sonic title did not see release between 1994 and 1999. Segas mascot all but didn't show up for one console generation. For five years, spinoffs were all we had of Sonic. The Dreamcast/PS2 Era is where the core titles pick up next.

Knuckles Chaotix

Console: Sega 32X
Release Date: March, 1995

Ahh, Knuckles Chaotix. Doomed to be the "lost" Sonic game, this is probably the one game in the franchise that almost no one has played. The blame for that, of course, can be laid on the 32X; Sega was kind of desperate to extend the life of the Genesis in those days and while the Sega CD could be called a mild success - it did, of course, have several classic releases - the 32X was a bomb that could only be surpassed by Nintendos Virtual Boy. As such, only the four people who actually owned a 32X have played this one; even with emulation being prevalent, your average jamoke hasn't played it.

Hell, I didn't even play the game until just recently for the purposes of this.

Did we miss anything by the game falling into obscurity? Well, it's no classic; this game is really a case of a lot of potential getting lost amidst bad choices. I think the thing that really sunk this game was the level layouts. There are only about five "zones" with five acts each; the problem is, it's very, very difficult to tell if anything has really changed between the acts. The reason? They're barren; there just aren't enough enemies or interesting gimmicks as it is. It all feels half finished. As such, what follows is a boring, lifeless romp through barren levels without a whole lot to do.

This is unfortunate, because in a way, this game is a bit of a spiritual sequel to Sonic CD. Take a look at the production credits sometime and you're going to see some familiar names. The graphics are similarly lush, the music is nice and the new characters are colorful. This isn't even mentioning that this was the first real return of Metal Sonic (and Amy, though she only shows up in the sound test and it took years for anyone to find it). This could have been so much more and who knows, perhaps if the game director hadn't been different...

The games main mechanic - the elastic band - is a love it or hate it affair. Personally, I think it had potential and was fun to fool around with. It doesn't necessarily allow you the same freedom of movement the classics did - since you're effectively tethered to another character - but once you get the hang of it it allows for some cool tricks that could have made for some interesting secrets or the like if incorporated properly.

In all, it's a big missed opportunity. But it is worth at least one playthrough. It's not a game you're likely to ever go back to, however. Some botches in how the game was put together essentially robs it of the staying power the classics have.

The Score: 6.5 out of 10

Sonic Spinball
Console: Sega Genesis
Release Date: November 23rd, 1993

Not every spinoff will make a lot of sense, but this one was right on the money. Sonic already felt kind of like a pinball at times, right? Hell, we all love Casino Night as well, which had heavy use of pinball flippers. Seems like a match made in heaven.

Well, we know how often things turn out to be as they seem, but it still worked out pretty well.

This game is pretty much pinball jacked up after hitting the weights. It doesn't completely conform to the single table structure of regular pinball - except in between level minigames - and what results are sprawling levels of pinball goodness. There are usually about four or five sections in a level that are set up like your "tables", with different layouts and gimmicks, with your job being to collect the emeralds scattered around the level to open the boss section at the top.

If there's a downside to the game, it's that it's very short. There are only four full levels in the game, which is a disappointment, as more would have been very nice. It's also not exactly a game for anyone who doesn't care for pinball. Oh, and for some moronic reason they decided it would be a slammin' idea to base this game on the cartoons - you can rescue some of the Archie cast in one of the minigames - which did one more time before thankfully never doing it again.

The game has kind of a "love it or hate it" relationship amongst the fanbase. I'm one of the guys who really likes it. But I really love pinball and have always been a Sonic fanatic, so I suppose I was right in the target range for this one.

The Score: 7 out of 10

Sonic 3D Blast
Console: Sega Genesis, Sega Saturn
Release Date: November 30th, 1996

Look kids! It's Sonic! In crappy isometric 3D! Doesn't this make you just want to run out to the store and grab a copy?

... What do you mean "no"?

Boy, was this one a misstep. It's kind of shocking that this made it past the idea stage, much less into a full, completed game. Now, I don't have the hatred for this one that a lot of other people do - hell, I still load it up from time to time and have a decent enough time - but objectively this was just not a good idea.

You can see where the logic came into play. In '96, 3D models and gameplay was just starting to become the "hip" thing in 90's gaming - while 2D side scrolling was, sadly, beginning to be seen as old hat - and that blasted Sonic Xtreme game was taking forever, so why not do an isometic based 3D game in the meantime? It might have made sales sense, but Sonic gameplay was clearly not built for 3/4ths isometric and this game proved it with awkwardness to spare.

Its main problem is that it just controlled awkwardly. Given how 3/4ths isometric view works, you're above the playing field and viewing it from an angle instead of head on. Which means all paths are at a diagonal angle. I'm having a hard time describing this, but if you look at the screenshot, you can probably guess how this works and why it's a problem.

Hitting cracks in the wall with the spindash proves to be troublesome unless you're at the right angle. Hitting enemies can be something of a hassle until you get used to it. Hell, the second level's spinner gimmick is going to give you trouble, because the view makes it hard to aim yourself down a path without bouncing off the walls like a pinball and into a hazard.

Once you get used to it, it's not all bad. Maybe a bit of my nostalgia affects how I view the game. But then, that doesn't explain why I can still play through the game and not hate myself afterwards. It's not objectively good, though.

Oh, they also released this one on the Sega Saturn as well. The whole long, unbelievable saga of Sonic Xtreme ended with the game being canned outright, which left the Saturn without an appearance from the companies mascot other than in a racing game. Obviously, not having a core Sonic title was going to be - and, as expected, was - a major blow to the console, so they figured it was better to have something than nothing. Cue upgraded port. It had better graphics and better music, but played the same.

Sometimes I wonder if the Saturn would have fared better if Sonic hadn't missed the party entirely, but not only is that neither here nor there but the console was kind of doomed anyways.

The Score: 6 out of 10

Dr. Robotniks Mean Bean Machine
Console: Sega Genesis
Release Date: December, 1993

Well here's the second - and thankfully last - Sonic title based on one of the cartoons. This one was based on Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, which was the 'toon of the original too that didn't try and take itself seriously. It can be debated which was better - frankly, SatAM aged poorly, while the slapstick AoStH tends to fare better since it's not trying to be taken seriously - but it'd not worth getting into.

What we have here is basically a puzzle game. It's a Puyo Puyo game - the first one to actually make it over here - with a coat of Sonic paint applied. Oddly, Sonic doesn't even appear in this game, but I suppose that's why he didn't get billing in the title.

It's essentially a competitive puzzle game. You have to get four beans linked up to clear them and setting up combos - where when you clear one, beans above drop into place and become another clear - will detrimentally effect your opponent by dropping rocks on their stack, messing up anything they're trying to set up. Like Tetris, if you go past the top of your play area, you've lost.

It's fun, but there's little to be said about it. There's just not much to it. You go through a dozen or so rounds - matched up against characters from the cartoon with different strategies and difficulty for each - whup Robotnik and boom, done. It's fun for what it is, but nothing to write home about.

The Score: 7 out of 10

Sonic R
Console: Sega Saturn
Release Date: October 27th, 1997

Ahh, another example of the spinoff that's fun enough, but too damn short for it's own good. Due to the chaos of Sega and the behind the scenes workings of Sonic development between S&K and Sonic Adventure, this was the only Sonic game the Saturn had specifically made for it. Aside from a spinoff, Sonic skipped a whole console generation. Even Nintendo knows better than to let more than a year or two pass into a consoles life cycle before a core Mario title releases.

Prior to Sonic and Sega All Star Racing, this was the only real racing title Sonic had ever been in; which is odd, because like Spinball, this is another one of those no brainers. I mean, hello, Sonic is fast, so, racing spinoff perhaps?

It controls well enough, the music is catchy - even if I don't get how they figured J-Pop was good racing music - and the tracks are pretty open, with several shortcuts, secrets and things to collect. There are also numerous unlockable characters, including mech versions of most of the characters. You can even race as Super Sonic when you get all the emeralds.

There's just one problem; there is NOWHERE near enough content.

There are four tracks. Five if you count the unlockable stage you get by finishing first in every one of the initial four. Sure, they're pretty expansive and rather open for racing games of the time, but that's a paltry amount any way you slice it. Especially for a full priced game. Come on now, Sega.

It is fun, though, so it's not like it's a complete loss, but you'll have unlocked everything and run out of things to see way too soon.

The Score: 7 out of 10

Sonic the Fighters
Console: Arcade Machine, Gamecube
Release Date: July 1996

Wow. Uhh... what to say about this one? Other than the fact that it's not that good.

Sonic's one of those versatile characters that you can use in a lot of genres, so it's not that he's in a fighting game. Brawl even made it work rather well. It just comes down to the fact that this game was pretty poorly made; it's only good point is the fact that we got to play as characters, mainly Amy and Nack the Weasel, that, at the time, we hadn't seen in years.

Seriously, the graphics blow, even for the era - it's sub-Virtua Fighters level graphics - the music isn't memorable, the arenas themselves are just there. Even the actual fighting is borked. It could have worked, but this was certainly not the era to have been trying it, judging by the results. They should have just put Sonic and Tails in Fighting Vipers as the original idea went instead of this.

But it's no big deal, because prior to Sonic Gems Collection almost no one had heard of - much less seen or played - it, given its very, very limited release. It probably should have stayed buried, though. How this made it on the Gems Collection but Knuckles Chaotix was left off, I haven't the foggiest.

The Score: 5 out of 10

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So that's the Classic Era spinoffs done. The Main Game Gear titles will be next on the list. Don't miss it!

Sonic Retrospective: The Classics

So, as you may be aware, today's the twentieth anniversary of the release of the original Sonic the Hedgehog. So, it's his birthday, if you will.

Over that twenty year span of time, the hedgehog has had his share of highs and lows, but even with the specter of the shitfest that was Sonic '06 hanging over him, the fact remains that the good ends up outweighing the bad. Sonic's starred in some true classics of video gaming and at one point was the only serious contender to Mario. That tends to stick. Even with the beating he took in the mid 2000's, he remains one of the most recognizable characters in video game history.

Today, I start a look at the various games the hedgehog has had over the years. Where the hell else do you start but the classics? I'll very likely run through further eras in his history - though time will tell if I go through the full history over the course of the year - but for now let's get started with the original five.

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Sonic the Hedgehog

Console: Sega Genesis
Release Date: June 23rd, 1991

Ahh, the original. In gaming, it rarely ends up being the best in a series - well, unless that franchise absolutely blows - but the good ones still tend to hold up. Cue Sonic the Hedgehog, a game that raced on the scene back in '91. As far as opening salvos go, the original still holds its own pretty goddamn well.

Obviously, this was the game to own on the Genesis at the time and it's not hard to see why. Colorful zones, a great combination of speed and platforming, adventure and great music. Hell, once you get Green Hills theme in your head, try getting it out. Then there were the special stages, a trippy, psychedelic area you had to traverse to get a Chaos Emerald. Collect them all and get the real ending.

Twenty years later, and the one that started it all is still a pretty great game.

The Score: 7.5 out of 10

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Sonic the Hedgehog CD

Console: Sega CD
Release Date: November 19th, 1993

Ahh, now this is the stuff. When it comes to the Sonic, there are two games generally held above as the best in the series, those being Sonic CD and Sonic 3 & Knuckles. Both are fantastic games that are definitely classics, but for my money Sonic CD beats out S3&K by a small margin.

This one had it all. The introduction of Amy Rose - one of what I see as the core five characters in the franchise along with Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Eggman - Metal Sonic, time travel, fantastic new zones, interesting gimmicks, CD quality music, awesome special stages and much, much more. Even better, the amount of replayability is ridiculous.

This one is pretty much perfect in every way. I generally feel that most Sonic games - even the classics - have as least one zone in the mix that isn't all that great. Sonic CD is the exception for sure; this game simply does not have a clunker in the bunch. Every level is varied, fun and interesting, giving some of the best variety of the series. This extends to the special stages, which picked up on Sonic 2's idea of 3D special stages and ramping it up to new heights.

More than that, the time travel gimmick puts it all over the top. It inspires irritation in some - detractors typically say it's "unnecessary" - but it just adds to the experience. It adds loads of bang for your buck - every zone has four different variations between Past, Present, Good and Bad future, complete with special tile sets and music for each - but on top of that it adds something else. You actually get to see the effects on the world.

All the prior and future Sonic games were pretty straightforward; get to the end, free a bunch of animals from a capsule and move on. Sure, you know you're doing good, but there's no effect on gameplay. Not in CD. Each zone defaults to a bad, Robotnik controlled future, but if you destroy a roboticizer in the past, the future becomes a utopian wonderland free of Robotnik or his robots. Not only does the ending you get depend on this, but each boss takes place in the future, so you're definitely going to see if you freed the zone or left it to its doom.

This kind of thing simply didn't happen in games of that era. This game had ambition. This game is fantastic.

If there's a downside to this game, it's something entirely beyond its control. A lot of fans just haven't played it. This gem was put out on the Sega CD, one of Segas numerous failed add-ons, which was out of reach of most of the people who would want to play this game. Curiously, Sega never seems to include this one in re-releases; the Genesis four have been re-packaged to the point of ridiculousness, but CD has only ever made it into a compilation once.

It really is a shame, because playing it the original way is a damn hassle.

The Score: 10 out of 10

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Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Console: Sega Genesis
Release Date: November 24th, 1992

Bigger. Bolder. Better.

The first proper sequel to the original - Sonic CD started out as Sonic 2, but ended up going in a different direction - Sonic 2 just ramped everything up. This game is mammoth, having the most levels of any single Sonic game in the classic series with eleven zones; and this is before you take into consideration the fact that this one was originally going to have six more that ended up scrapped. New moves, new bosses, a new sidekick, a new 3D special stage and a metric ton of new levels. If they set out to double up on what the original contained, they pretty much succeeded.

I've got a soft spot for this one. Even when I knew in my heart 3&K was the better game, for most of my childhood I liked this one more. It could have something to do with the Casino Night Zone. It could be the plane right to an airship fortress. Hell, it could even be the final battle on what is essentially the Sonic version of the Death Star. Whatever the reason, I've always loved Sonic 2. But what the hell do I need to justify that love for anyways? This game is awesome.

Sadly, it's not perfect. While it's the biggest single, standalone Sonic game in the classic five, it also has the highest number of zones I just do not care for. I really could have done without Mystic Cave and Oil Ocean looks good but as a level is nothing to write home about. There's also Hill Top Zone, which I like but don't love; could have something to do with the insta-death pits I abhor in Sonic games.

This stings worse when you consider what we could have gotten. Hidden Palace, for one thing. That zone had a great look to it and even had the first act mostly finished early in development. It made the rounds on a game show or two as well. What happened? Sure, we got a Hidden Palace in Sonic & Knuckles, but it was a completely different deal. Then there's Dust Hill, which got as far as the concept stage and even had a few promotional screenshots, but never saw the light of day. These plus four others fell victim to Sega pushing Sonic 2 out the door to meet the holiday season deadline; meanwhile, Mystic Cave made it to completion.

Still, this game is better than the original and has a lot to offer. It's just falls short of perfect. But what the hell, at least Sonics first sequel wasn't a Doki Doki Panic game with a different coat of paint on it.

The Score: 8 out of 10

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Sonic 3 & Knuckles

Console: Sega Genesis
Release Date: 1994
Note: This one is actually two games in one. Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles. They were originally intended to be one game, but as usual Sega decided the holiday season was more important and pushed Sonic 3 out the door with more than half the overall game removed. Nowadays, the game is widely recognized as being one game, so despite being two of the classic five in all, I'm treating it as the full, locked on game.

Generally the last game of the classic era - though not necessarily the classic series, as Sonic 4 exists - Sonic 3 & Knuckles is a hell of a swan song.

Pound for pound, this game has the most content of any of the classic games. This one gave us the concept of the mid-boss, giving each act a closing battle, several memorable boss battles, some of the best zones in the series, a future franchise mainstay in Knuckles, playable Tails, numerous shields with special powers and so much more. The game even had dedicated paths for each character, as well as a dump truck full of secrets and alternate pathways. They even threw in a save feature that's damn near godly; once you beat the game, you can start from any level you choose, meaning they basically cut out any tedious level select codes and just gave you the goods after you stomped Robotnik.

By this point, the gameplay had been honed to perfection and it shows. Level design is top notch, the music - which even had Michael Jackson involved - was similarly great and the game was just a benchmark that the 2D iterations of Sonic have yet to reach again. There are so many cool moments and gimmicks in this one, including a zone that frequently dicks around with gravity.

Earlier I said that I personally think Sonic CD is the best - and I hold to that opinion - but this one gives it a run for its money. Like CD, there is very, very little wrong with it; all the new additions feel organic, the mid-bosses make the entire game feel like a step up from Eggmans usual antics and there's not a bad time to be seen.

Well, mostly. Remember that rule I talked about earlier? You know, the one about how most Sonic games have that one terrible level that sticks out from the pack? This one does too. It's called Sandopolis Zone and despite the numerous good ideas present, it just doesn't work as well as the rest of the pack. But you know what? While I hated it as a kid, today I think it's an okay level. I think that says something when the worst level of the game is merely okay.

The Score: 9.5 out of 10

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That's it for the classics. The next look back at the past of Sonic will likely tackle the main Game Gear games. Or I could just go for the Genesis era spinoffs next. Time will tell. When I do get to it, I hope you'll join me.

Sonic Rivals (video game)

Platform: PSP
Developers: Backbone Entertainment
Genre: Racing
ESRB Rating: E
Release Date: November 24th, 2006

No kidding? Sonic has a game on the PSP? Who woulda thunk it? Anyone with a firing synapse, actually. It's not like Sonic has missed a console since Sega went third party. So here we are with his first PSP outing. Is it any good?

First off, I'm actually kind of surprised it took so long for Sega to put out a game like this. Rivals is less "action platformer" and more a racing game with platforming elements. It echoes some of the familiar bits of gameplay from the 2D classics filtered through a race to the finish line. Seems like a no brainer, dunnit? I mean, hell, Sega had done the concept before with multiplayer of the classic Sonics, making it surprising they hadn't tried a full game of it before.

So, you know, Eggman's up to his dirty tricks again. Apparently he went out and bought himself a spiffy new camera at Best Buy or whatever store he hasn't been thrown out of yet. Naturally the first thing he's going to do is piss off his nemesis with it. Only, gasp, this camera turns whatever it takes a picture of into a little card, including Amy and Tails. Now, Sonic doesn't think this is really the way his friends should be treated, so it's time to go beat up fat people again. But then, a twist; now a bunch of Sonic wannabe's plus Knuckles are after him too, so naturally the way to settle this is by racing.

The term "team-up" is apparently lost on all of them.

The story's alright for what it is. It's really just an excuse to get four characters to race one another. It kind of makes everyone look pretty dumb though. I mean, they're all after a fat dude with a hilarious mustache. A couple of them are friends or at least on decent terms. Shouldn't they be helping each other, or at least not getting in each others way? Shouldn't they at least try to have a conversation before deciding "ha ha, I'm totally faster than you, I'll catch him first"? Apparently this doesn't occur to them until the rotund doctor decides he's going to turn the planet into a card.

I guess in Sonics world, love interests, best friends and huge gems being turned into trading cards isn't reason enough to work together. Nope, racing is clearly the superior option. It's all fun and games until somebody turns the planet into a card. If you ask me their priorities are a little screwed up.

Music and sound fare alright. None of it's really spectacular, but the actual stage music is pretty nice. There are also some sound clips, but they're not a big deal; it's a shock to get a voice clip with more than one word. At the very least, Tails is a card for most of the game, so I don't have to worry about wanting to strangle him as previously. The graphics are decent, but ultimately far from noteworthy.

The gameplay's technically sound, but while the basics work out, the other stuff does it's best to sink it. For one thing, this games a rubber band racer. No matter what you do, no matter how well you play, that sum bitch is going to catch up to you and kick you in the shins. Whoever is in second place suddenly becomes faster than the guy in first, so even if you play perfectly chances are good he's going to catch up.

There are power-ups to help keep them from passing you, but they don't always help. I really hate this kind of crap because it just takes skill out of the equation. When this sort of thing is done, it's usually done under the guise of keeping the challenge up or the game fair, but it's an artificial fix that actually makes things worse. I hate it when racing games do it, so you can imagine how much I cared for it here.

The level design this go around is pretty respectable. They usually have three different paths to go by - top, middle and lowest - similar to the classics, only streamlined for racing. This only succeeds in making them less interesting, but for racing tracks, they're not horrible. A bonus is that bottomless pits are less of a hassle here; the only real penalty for falling in one is losing a couple seconds while you respawn, a far cry from the pain they usually are.

Here's where the trouble really starts. You've got four playable characters - including Silver, a character whom Sonic '06 was in the process of ensuring we probably won't see again - each with their own story. But aside from a signature power-up-triggered move, that's the only thing different about them. They all play exactly the same, with no strengths or weaknesses among them. It's a problem the franchise had for a while, in that the developers never seemed to understand that having multiple playable characters meant nothing if they played exactly the same.

Compounding the problem is that the levels are exactly the same for each of them, with no variations whatsoever. If you want to play through all four storylines, you essentially have to play through the game four times, through the exact same levels in the exact same order. Since the levels aren't interesting enough to be worth replaying much, this means you're going to get bored around when you finish your second run through with another character.

There isn't the now-traditional last story in this game either, which means the only incentive for completing all four is to play as Metal Sonic. He doesn't even have his own story, so it's not really much of a prize. The game tries to add replay value through collectible cards, but it doesn't quite get the job done, since the game itself gives little reason to want to play more to get them all. There are challenge modes for each stage as well, but it's difficult enough just to force your way through the six levels four times for each story, so it's not exactly an attractive option. Add in an utterly worthless Grand Prix mode - to unlock a cup, you literally have to complete every single challenge for a level - and you have a game that tries to add replay value but utterly fails.

The game is enjoyable for a bit though. The first playthrough is at least mildly entertaining. I get the feeling this game would have been more enjoyable if it were a more traditional Sonic platformer, however. The sixth and final level, you race against time instead of a "rival", so it feels more like a regular Sonic stage. The time limit is relatively strict, but still, it feels different and a bit more enjoyable. What could have been.

The Score: 6 out of 10

In all, there's about an afternoons worth of fun here, but that's about it. You're really best served just playing it for Sonic story and then putting it down, because you'll have seen most of the game. It may be worth a rental. I just wouldn't recommend buying it unless you found it for dirt cheap.

Sonic 4: Episode 1 (video game)

Platform: X-Box Live Arcade, PSN, Wiiware, iPhone
Developers: Sonic Team, Dimps
Genre: Action, Platformer
ESRB Rating: Everyone
Release Date: October 7th-13th (released on a different day for each system)

Everyone has an idea in their head about what Sonic 4 should be. It's been about fifteen years since Sonic 3 & Knuckles. Fifteen years of expectations. No matter what they did, not everyone would be happy; especially not the unpleasable retro section of Sonics fanbase. But they pressed forward with this regardless. Now the first episode is out; all the PR speak is said and done, the whining irrelevant. Does what we have thus far deserve the name "Sonic 4"?

Yes, actually; but make no mistake, the game isn't perfect.

First off, the game looks great. Everything feels slick and modern in a way we haven't really seen in a 2D Sonic title. It's unfortunate that the looks of the zones are rehashed from previous Sonics - same for the badniks as well - but damn if they don't look pretty in HD.

The music is similarly excellent. Not all of them are on the same level as the classics - and seeing as Michael Jackson is dead, they can't exactly get his help to hit the kind of style 3&K had - but they are as catchy. Each of the three acts of every zone has it's own music, each different from the last; though later acts in the same zone may have a variation of the music from an earlier act. It's not all roses with the music, however; the regular Dr. Eggman theme for Sonic 4 is hardly the pumping tune you might expect from an encounter with the rotund doctor, though the theme for the panic mode of every boss fight is much better.

As for the gameplay, well, this is going to be the most divisive. Straight up, the physics are not exactly the same as the classics. In fact, they're more than a bit off. I suspect this game uses a heavily modified version of the Sonic Rush engine, because I recognized some of the faults that were common in that engine. Not all of the issues persist - it's fixed up enough that it does not have all of the same faults Rush did - but enough return to be noticeable. Momentum also does not work the same as in the classics and could use some tuning up; if you stop pressing in a direction, for instance, you stop moving dead in your tracks and just drop, a physics goof that really needs to be fixed post haste. To be blunt, if you're the type that takes your Sonic games way too seriously, this game will send you into the type of nerd rage that would likely inspire someone to backhand you.

Everything else, however, reeks of classic Sonic influence. The physics may have some of the problems Rush did, but the level design does not. Whereas Rush emphasised on speed over all else, Sonic 4 is slower and more deliberate. Timing your jumps and true platforming are the order of the day and the levels are built to be explored. Bottomless pits are far rarer, saving unnecessary death. Say what you want about the physics, but I'm not sure they could have changed the feel of the game as much. The level design is what makes this game feel like classic Sonic more than anything else; and it's a welcome change that helps smooth over the faults. By the time you get to Lost Labrinth Zone, the developers had clearly hit their stride. It and Mad Gear Zone are crazy awesome.

While they may have mined classic Sonic levels for the overall look of each zone, the gimmicks and a lot of hazards are mostly new. From ziplines to playing cards to outrunning giant stone spheres like Indiana Jones, there's a lot here we haven't seen before. Some gimmicks return - the canons from Sonic 3 are back - but even those don't play the same as they did before. Same goes for the boss fights. They're culled from past games, but if you think that means you know everything Robotnik will do, then you'd better watch out; when his contraption takes enough damage, he goes into a "Panic Mode" of sorts, switching up his attack patterns completely.

Everything old is new again.

As far as the amount of content you get goes, I'm conflicted. On the one hand, I want to say that fifteen dollars is too much for four zones plus a final boss rush level, all of which based on the classics instead of all new. On the other hand, this game has three full length acts per zone, plus a separate boss confrontation for each. That's the same overall amount that the original Sonic the Hedgehog gave us. I think ten dollars would have been a fairer price point, but I suppose that it's ultimately a judgement call. Either way it's well worth picking up; I would just have rather paid ten dollars for what I got and paid fifteen for Episode 2 on.

I will say this though; the majority of Episode 2 had better be new. I can handle the homages for one fifteen dollar episode, but I don't think I can justify continuing if the whole thing is going to basically be a remix of the classics. I'm paying for Sonic 4, not "Best of Sonic HD"; I'd buy that, but not under the guise of being Sonic 4.

The Score: 8 out of 10

Look, this game isn't perfect. At all. I'd very much like it if the physics were fixed to be more like the classics. But it's fun. A lot of fun. Isn't that supposed to be what matters most? Frankly it's the kind of fun the Rush games should have given me, but never managed to deliver. Sonic has been on an upward trend in recent years and Episode 1 seems to be where Sonic Team and Dimps are truly getting their legs under them. If you're a physics nazi, steer clear; but if you're nowhere near that anal, this is worth dropping the coin. Sonic seems to be in good shape again; if they can fix the physics for Episode 2, Sonic 4 could live up to its pedigree yet.

Sonic Rush Adventure (video game)

Platform: Nintendo DS
Developers: Dimps, Sonic Team
Genre: Action, Platformer
ESRB Rating: Everyone
Release Date: September 18th, 2007

I'll be honest; I almost didn't play this game at all. I played and reviewed Sonic Rush a ways back and the short version is that I hated it. A friend assured me Rush Adventure was better, but Rush classic was so tedious, so unfair and so crushingly boring that I ended up putting off Rush Adventure for well over a year and a half. Despite saying I'd play it, it was kind of a question mark for a while there. I may be a big Sonic fan, but I'm not looking to suffer any crappy games just because of that.

Well, I did eventually end up playing this and thankfully my friend was right. Sonic Rush Adventure is a better game than Sonic Rush. But while there's significant improvement to the formula here, some of the old problems from Rush just haven't gone away.

Visually, the game looks about the same as Rush. There hasn't really been a jump in overall graphics quality. Really, the most significant change is the stage themes. For the most part, it sticks to a more nature-y, islands feel; so you won't find any city levels, carnivals or casino levels here. The most non-natural the levels get is a machine labyrinth island and some ruins. That's actually rather fitting since, you know, the entire game takes place on a chain of islands. It does make for a more muted impression though; there's a decent chance the look of any given stage isn't really going to stick with you.

The sound is similarly unimpressive. None of it is actually bad, but you won't remember any of the themes either. It's kind of sad, but Dimps really hasn't put enough effort into the music for it to really resonate. The classics had catchy, great music that stuck with you long after. Dimps Sonic hasn't really had that. Just kind of samey. That doesn't change here. Thankfully, the worst offender from the sound last time is mostly gone; the voice clips that were so plentiful in Rush are pared down so far that there really aren't that many at all. Considering it got so bad in Rush that I wanted to inflict bodily harm on Tails, I'd say that's a good thing.

The story is nothing to write home about. Sonic and Tails somehow manage to find themselves transported to Blaze the Cats world. They meet a hyperactive, Australian raccoon named Marine who likes to think of herself as the captain of your crew. Said raccoon quickly grates on your nerves and causes trouble. Meanwhile, some pirates decide it would be a great idea to steal some precious treasures. Naturally, you're tasked with stopping them and getting back home. Blaze also shows up a quarter of the way through.

It's... well, it's passable. On the one hand, it creates a new "friend"; she may be in a different dimension and thus may never appear again, but still. She's also annoying in a way most of Sonics cast is not. On the OTHER hand, for most of the game you're actually fighting against a new villain instead of Eggman. While I love a classic Eggman confrontation, Sonic desperately needs more bad guys to fight against. In fact, I wish Sega would spend as much time trying to make new villains for him as they do trying to make new friends. So it all kind of balances itself out and the story's not offensively bad. It's just not really great either.

Of course, Eggman eventually shows up along with his Nega counterpart to be revealed as the ultimate mastermind for the "Last Story" of this game. I know this is technically a spoiler but come on; don't even pretend you didn't see that coming. This really doesn't work. He literally shows up out of nowhere for the last stage after next to no set-up or involvement, exposits his plan and is then swiftly defeated by you. There was no point to it other than to try and get Eggman involved in some way because he's the classic villain. They should have just left him out.

The gameplay is where things have improved the most; which is fortunate because that's the area that sank the last game. To get the bad out of the way first, the general way the game is played hasn't really changed. It's still less a platformer and more a runaway train of speed and fury. There's no rhyme or reason to the level design; it's simply sheer madness whizzing by at mach three. This has long been a problem with Sonic since Dimps got a hold of him; there's such a massive emphasis on the speed that levels have become both longer, barren and boring to compensate for it. The games idea of platforming is hopping from platform to platform over a death pit every now and then after long stretches of hitting speed boosters and springs. It's uninteresting; there's nothing to see or do and even if there was you're racing through the level too fast to see or experience it.

Where the level design has improved is in less reliance on nasty tricks. Rush was teeming with unfair death pits, horrid enemy placement and poor structure in general; it was common to be flying by and suddenly there's an enemy in the way with no time to react, run right into a spot where something crushed you with no time to react or to run right into a death pit with, you guessed it, no time to react. For the most part, this has either been toned down or removed.

For their part, Dimps seems to have lessened the ease with which level gimmicks can catch you unaware; back in Rush there were times I'd be going fast, hit a wall and a moving platform would crush me from above before I could do something. There aren't many instances of that here, if any. Enemy placement is still problematic, but things have at least been toned down enough so that you're usually doing something that's slow enough of a pace to notice them ahead of time. You're still going to have instances where you unfairly run into an enemy, but to fix the problem entirely they'd have to either remove enemies entirely from speed sections or completely change the engine. Obviously, neither option is really attractive - and this is the fault of the engine design's reliance on speed over platforming and physics - so at least they struck more of a middle ground.

Where the most improvement lies is with the death pits. That crap was everywhere last time. This time, they're still around, but are less plentiful. There aren't occurrences like in Rush where you'd go flying off a ramp, hit a wall, start falling, see a platform pass to the left, find yourself unable to react and hit a pit. So, they're really less of a factor this go around and Dimps wisely saves any levels with numerous death pits for either optional levels or ones very, very late in the game. I'd rather they were nixed in general, but at least you're not likely to find yourself killed for something that isn't your fault.

All this doesn't fix the engines problems, the over-reliance on speed or the iffy design of the levels in general, but it does kill enough of the frustration that you may actually end up pulling some enjoyment out of the game instead of wanting to toss the DS across the room.

On a final note, it's worth mentioning that for all the games flaws, Dimps did put in efforts to give variety to the overall package. Getting from island to island is a matter of playing a different minigame for each of the four vehicles; and they're all fun enough to keep from dragging things down. Chaos Emeralds are typically garnered from waterbike races, as well, which is a fun enough twist on the old formula as opposed to adding some poorly conceived special stages. There are even missions to undertake for Sol Emeralds or customizations to the home island.

On top of that, there's a feeling of exploration to the world map; since you're exploring the seas for islands, there's plenty to run across, including close to twenty hidden islands that are extra one act levels. They reuse art resources from the main levels - this would have REALLY been something else if they all had slightly unique art, even if it was only a matter of palette changes - but it's still more levels to race through on top of the core game. It's a great idea, just one I wish had been implemented back during the era of the classics, when level design was top notch, instead of here where it's just a bit of a diversion. But, alas.

The Score: 6.5 out of 10

This wasn't anywhere near as bad as I thought it would be. There were still issues with the game - mostly stemming from how the Rush series is done in general - but there were enough improvements that some enjoyment could actually be dug from it. There are worse ways to spend an afternoon, like playing the original. Now if only they would stop focusing on speed and put more attention on how the classics did things, we'd be in business.

Sonic Unleashed (video game)

Platform: X-Box 360

Also On: PS3, Wii, PS2
Developers: Sonic Team
Genre: Action, Platformer
ESRB Rating: Everyone 10 and Up
Release Date: November 28th, 2008

* Note: This review is of the X-Box 360 version only. It's probably applicable for the PS3 version as well, since they're supposed to be the same game, but that's it. The Wii and Playstation 2 versions are significantly different and have also cut some stages; Mazuri has no real levels aside from a boss fight and Empire City is not present at all.

It's undeniable that Sonic has been in a rut lately. One that started in 2001 with Sonic Adventure 2. From then onwards it's been all downhill, the series titles getting progressively worse until most fans had given up. Sonic Chronicles restored a bit of faith in the blue hedgehog, but would Sonic Unleashed prove to be the title that helped the speedy blue hedgehog regain his former glory?

Well, kind of.

Some people had honestly hoped that this game would be the savior of the series and help restore it's public image. The bad news is that this game will not be the one to redeem Sonic. The good news is that this game is finally a step up for the franchise after a long downward spiral of quality. It took long enough, but this game is a sign that the series may be getting better.

As usual, we'll start with the games plot. In a vast improvement over many of the previous titles, this titles story is far simpler. Gone are the overwrought plots thrust upon us in many of the previous Sonic iterations; in their place a simpler, servicable plot with none of the forced "mature themes" that never fit in with Sonic in the first place. The opening cutscene provides the bulk of the story, showing Sonic in a climactic battle with Eggman in space. After a battle that see's Sonic go super, Eggman tricks the hedgehog and uses both he and the emeralds to power a canon that, upon firing, shatters the planet into pieces. Sonic finds himself a little furrier than usual before being ejected with the drained emeralds. Upon landing, he encounters Chip for the first time before setting out on his journey to cure his lycanthropy and stop Eggman.

That's it. There are more cutscenes and developments, to be sure, but that is your basic plot in a nutshell. There are no forced mature themes, no handful of useless new characters and no overuse of the old ones that are generally worthless. In fact, most of the series more dubious additions are thankfully nowhere to be found. You won't find annoying series waste of space Shadow present; nor will Silver, Blaze, Cream or any of the other unnecesary additions crop up. Only the essentials are around. We have Sonic, Amy, Tails and Eggman. The only one of the originals missing would be Knuckles. Otherwise, there's no chaff. The only new character to show up in this game is Chip; and circumstances make his appearance in Unleashed what seems to be a one game deal.

On a side note related to the story, I must say I was far happier with Eggman's role in this game than I have been for a while. Sonic Team has kind of pushed him as being not quite so bad for a little while now. It's alright for him to have some semblance of that to his character, but it had started to get a little ridiculous in the main series. Up until this game in the 3D series, Eggman usually just ended up nothing more than a pawn; in the end bringing about unintended consequences and teaming up with his nemesis, which was getting tiring. For once, he's finally taken the role of lead villain again. He does not come off as an idiot this time around; he is fully aware from start to finish what his actions will bring about and actively strives for it. Also, while he is not the very last boss you'll face, Eggman is one half of the final boss battle for this game. Overall, a much better use of the character on the whole.

The graphics are downright stunning. It's quite obvious this games visuals have been lovingly animated, as most everything appears lush and colorful, even in the more real world settings you'll find yourself in. Striving for levels based on real places had me worried, but Sonics world is still as colorful as ever and equally as varied. Any given level or continent has it's own look and feel to it, so the game looks even more varied than usual. Of note, however, is that while the framerate holds up admirably, there are some problems in the Werehog levels from time to time. If there are too many enemies on screen at once or simply too much happening, the framerate will chug, getting noticably choppy for a couple seconds. Thankfully it does not happen bad or often enough to be a problem, but it is definitely noticable.

The improvement of the sound, however, has progressed by leaps and bounds. Gone are the generic rock themes that saturated the previous titles. This game returns to the orchestrated type of music the series is perhaps best known for; and the results are a return to form for the series music. There are several themes that you will not be able to help humming along with, some possibly stuck in your head for days. Just like old times. There are two variations of any given theme, with both a day version and a night version. The day version being the normal one while the night version generally a slower or lower key variation of the day theme. On the whole, I thought the music was great once more and sincerely hope that they stick with this type of music. The occasional rock music track in the games was fine, but switching over to it was definitely something of a mistake.

The gameplay, however, is more of a mixed bag than anything else in the game. There is undeniable improvement to be seen when you play this game. The issue is that several niggling problems with the series have still not been addressed.

The engine the game runs on itself is a definite improvement by far. The Hedgehog Engine thankfully fixes many of the general issues that cropped up with the previous games. Many will remember the downright frustrating bugs that saturated previous 3D titles, popping up at the most inopportune moment to pry a life from your grip. Many of them are fixed, though a couple are only improved. The homing attack, for instance, is still a complete crapshoot, not always targetting certain enemies when it probably should and being a good way to send yourself off into the abyss and lose a life.

One feature they implemented well, I felt, was the transitions between 3D and 2D gameplay. It was carried out without much of a hitch, seemlessly switching from one to the other without a problem. This has the potential, if it can be properly utilized, to bring about some great gameplay in future installments; but it goes without saying that there needs to be emphasis on proper utilization.

Also, I like the little RPG twist they added. When you defeat enemies, you gain EXP. These can then be used to level up the abilities of both Sonic and the Werehog, making Sonic even faster or with more ring energy, for instance, or the Werehog stronger or have more combo's. It works well and I hope it's here to stay.

The other facets of gameplay, however, do not fare as well.

Level design is still ranging from servicable to downright atrocious. It takes steps towards improvement in this title, however. We have the welcome return of multiple paths through a level, for instance. However, there is still much work to be done.

For instance, one of the series worst enemies in the 3D era, bottomless pits, are back. Some of the early levels aren't too bad with this, where there are only a couple areas where you're in any real danger of going off into a pit for no good reason and lose a life. Somewhere around halfway through, however, it all goes down the toilet. Levels quickly become filled with open spaces and often become an exercise in being sure to do everything right or lose one of your lives. This is at it's worst later in the game when you find yourself on several rail sections; either you have the reaction time of the Flash, memorize where everything is or you're probably going to hit something and get knocked off the rail, taking one of your lives.

Speaking of which, the rails make an unwelcome return. This is definitely the most annoying gimmick ever brought in and one of the few to be in every game since it's inception. The level designers seem to get stiffies for sections of nothing but rail grinding over the big open spaces you can die in, something that's been a pain in the ass since the damn gimmick appeared in Sonic Adventure 2. It never reaches the level of annoyance of the space levels of the aforementioned game, but there are definitely annoying sections in Unleashed.

Also, while multiple paths have made their return, they are not utilized all that well. In the 2D era, levels were very layered affairs, with upwards of three different paths you could be taking at a given time, each one unique enough in overall design to feel like special or worth going through. This generally amounted to an upper path, a middle path and a bottom path, which in water stages would be the tougher one. In Unleashed, there are only two different paths at any given time and you spend just as much time with a single traversable path as you do with options. In the old days it was up to you which path you took, though stayinf on some required more skill. This means that while it's nice that Sonic Team is making an effort, they're still missing the point of the paths in the first place.

Also, they really need to remember that while Sonic can't swim, it's not supposed to be instant death for him. Some of the more infuriating levels in the game are the ones with large stretches of water or platforming sections over them. You have to keep up a top speed that requires boosting to continue running on the water. Run out of ring energy or slip up and it's all over. Adabat and Holoska are terrible in this regard, especially in the day time stages. Half the stages you'll be racing atop the water; if you slow down or even graze something you're going to lose your momentum and instantly die. Considering how long these sections are, it's annoying instead of cool. You're almost guaranteed to unfairly lose a life in these sections for something that wasn't even your fault.

Enemy and hazard placement has seen improvement, but still needs work. You're unfortunately still going to have all too many instances where you race along only to find yourself nailed by a poorly placed hazard. Often enough, the booster pads will send you so fast you can't react fast enough to such obstacles. Some of the worst are when you hit the Robotnik springs and find yourself catapaulted into spikes; just lovely.

Sonic Unleashed's central gimmick, the day and night stages with regular Sonic and the Werehog, respectively, is generally why it's recieved such a mixed reaction. It's not entirely unfounded either. The daytime stages are nowhere near perfect as some fans like to claim, but they've seen improvement. Juxtaposing those against the night stages was probably not a good idea.

To be blunt, the werehog sections feel out of place. The day stages are an adrenaline rush of sorts, focused on speed and racing through the levels. The night stages, however, are slower, plodding beat-em-up's more akin to God of War and Devil May Cry than anything else. The switch from super speedy gameplay to plodding combat is a jarring one the title could have done without. You can't skip them either. Often the only way to access new levels, day or otherwise, is to go through the night stages despite the fact that you really would rather not.

One of the biggest issues with the Werehog levels would be the fact that you're going to end up going into Werehog levels more than daytime ones; which is annoying given their length. Bad idea that I suspect happened for no other reason than to pad the game out so the total gameplay hours made the game feel worth the sixty dollar price tag. To make matters worse, the combat is simplistic at best for at least half the game; the Werehog levels are not going to be any fun at all until you've leveled up your combat skill at least ten levels to get enough combos for a varied moveset. Even then it can feel like a chore.

Also, the Werehog levels are way too long on top of that; you'll spend a hell of a lot more time in one of them than you will any given daytime stage. The quickest you're going to move through a Werehog level is ten minutes with avoiding the bulk of the enemies. This is the first one too. That should give you a good idea how long and plodding these stages are. They needed to be shortened badly. Had the levels been shortened, the Werehog levels would probably have felt like a better addition; after all, you wouldn't have to be dreading the twenty some minutes you knew you were going to spend on one of those stages because it would then have been a quicker affair.

Length is also a problem with the final stage of the game, Eggmanland. This level is pure hell. It's one act with both regular Sonic and Werehog sections. It's also probably going to take you upwards of a full hour and every life you've got stocked to beat it. The level just seems to go on and on and on with no end in sight, with a lot of unfair deaths between you and the ever distant goal ring. If the level had been split into two acts it wouldn't have been an issue, but with the depletion of your lives forcing you to start from the beginning, the level comes off as downright unfair even if you have a large stockpile of lives.

This is all not to mention that by this point any pretense of good level design is completely thrown out the damn window. You're pretty much going to go on the path they tell you to and you're going to like it or get over it. The paths start to disappear and the level design started circling the drain a couple levels before this, but Eggmanland is pretty much where it goes under the rest of the way. Even the abundant free lives in the stage don't always help the frustration, but it's a good thing they are there. As frustrating as Eggmanland is, if they weren't I imagine there would be many broken controllers all over the world.

All that plus a lackluster second half to the final boss really weigh on the title. But thankfully, there's something about this game that sticks with you. There's enough improvement that I ended up enjoying myself, which hasn't happened with a Sonic game since Adventure.

This is a decent game, but sadly it simply does not rise above that. There are still way too many flaws that need to be ironed out and general design needing improvement. But this game is playable and not a complete turnoff; I actually enjoyed playing this one for the most part, which I haven't for a long time. That's better than the mediocre to bad Sonic games we've been getting for a while now. It's worth a play, but it's definitely a rent before you buy situation; not everyone is going to be able to forgive the flaws still plentiful.

My Opinion: Try It

Sonic Rush (video game)

Platform: Nintendo DS
Developers: Dimps, Sonic Team
Genre: Action, Platformer
ESRB Rating: Everyone
Release Date: November 15th, 2005

Sonic's been a strange beast to watch this past decade. He's gone from prominence as a premier icon of video games to a mid carder at best and a relic of a bygone era in games at worst. All on the strength, or lack thereof, of many of his games this decade, with the exception of the first two Sonic Adventures. A lot had been riding on this title around it's release, considering many were clamoring for a Sonic experience that was decent at the very least.

Personally, I don't think we got it. This game really does highlight some of the just plain bad choices that have been thrust upon this former icon over the years in a striking bold, even if it's not quite as bad as Sonic Advance 2's particular atrocities. It's not a good showing for the speedy blue hedgehog.

The story is rather simplistic, which is probably the one thing this game did I was glad for. Generally, trying to shove a plot in Sonic games hasn't quite worked out over the years, making me wish for the day's when it was as simple as fighting Eggman through stages to a final battle with no dialogue present. The days when any character interactions were done within the stages and you'd get all you needed to know right there.

Still, there is some semblance of a story here. It generally revolves around a cat named Blaze from another dimension, complete with her own alternate universe Eggman and emeralds, trying to stop her Eggman, who has invaded Sonic's world. This wouldn't be so terrible if the dialogue wasn't so laughably bad; it's honestly even worse than some of the most glaring offenders in the series of late, with generally bad lines and cheesy writing. Then there's Sonic, who, upon defeating a boss, watches as the Eggman flies away and snaps his fingers in an "oh darn" sort of way. Umm, hello? Maybe you should try chasing him?

The sound is generally just okay. There are some voice clips here and there, thankfully only for four or five characters. I say thankfully because the voices are just plain gratingly bad. It was enough to make you wish you could reach through the screen and strangle Tails after about the eighteenth time he spoke during a boss fight, saying the same damn thing. Music was a bit better, but overall I thought it was rather forgettable. Which is a shame, as usually Sonic games, at the least, have had some memorable music.

The graphics fared a bit better. The surroundings are suitably bright and pleasing to the eye, if nothing really special. The game literally goes right to the most basic tropes of the series levels with little real deviance from them, which makes them a bit more forgettable. It's almost as though the designers aren't even trying anymore in regards to differentiating them. In the old days, you had your opening green level, but they looked different. Sonic had a grasslands vibe, Sonic 2's was a bit more tropical, Sonic 3 had something of a tropical jungle, Sonic and Knuckles had a thick forest. These days they seem to just slap a jungle theme and be done with it. If there was one level that stood out, however, it was the carnival-esque level.

The gameplay, however, is where this game completely falls apart. Much of the Sonic series problems since Sonic Adventure 2 lie largely in level design, or bad level design, as it were. Sonic Rush is as bad as any of them. The level designs themselves are quite frankly boring. Most of it is a bunch of loops and dashing from place to place. There is none of the complexity of the Genesis era Sonic games or even any of the interesting gimmicks. It's a lot of "hold right to win" gameplay, which is about the biggest possible snoozefest of gameplay you could ever have. There are maybe one or two paths in each stage, sure, which is something I fully welcome the return of; but none of the paths are in the least bit interesting or unique. The paths are basically the same bland levels, just with more options to get through the level, which misses the point of them entirely.

Even just the facets of level design here are poor. Enemy and hazard placement in this game is just a cruel joke; you'll be cruising along in the blandly designed levels when suddenly "BAM MUTHAFUCKA", there's a bunch of enemies right in your path. No time to react, no time to dodge, just unfairly placed in the worst possible spots. In the old days, they were placed in good positions that were far from unfair; if you got hit, it was your fault and not the games. Not so from Adventure 2 on. This goes for the hazards too.

This is not to mention the horrid amount of endless pits in every damn level, which is the worst addition to the franchise I could possibly think of. They come out of absolutely nowhere with no damn warning and are everywhere in the levels of this game. You'll cruise along and hit a ramp, go flying, then hit a wall. You'll start to fall, only to see a platform pass to your left. You miss it, because you couldn't freaking see it, only to be greeted not by solid ground below, but by a pit. There goes one of your lives. Modern Sonic games love punishing you for things that aren't your fault. Probably why the character has gone from video game hero to a joke as far as peoples opinions here in America go.

Bosses and enemies are, as usual lately, uninspired. Like most modern Sonic games, this portable entry has a habit of recycling enemy and boss designs because Sega is too cheap to put money into producing more than the handful they do. You'll literally fight the same boss on a later level with nothing more than a vague change of scenery, which is positively boring. Enemies are reused through levels with little more than a palette swap.

Then there's Blaze, the new second playable character in this game. Anyone that was hoping for an experience similar to the days of old where you had Sonic and another character like Knuckles or Tails, each with their own play experience, is going to be sorely disappointed. Playing as either character literally gives you the exact same game, just with a different level order. Blaze doesn't even have the courtesy to play differently, giving you the exact same play experience and moves that Sonic does. What's the point in having another playable character if they're not different from the first in any way except visually?

This game is bad. I mean, really, really bad. It doesn't even have the decency to use the touch screen in any interesting way; not that being able to even see more around you helps much when you're going so fast through poor level design that it doesn't help you. As a game experience, this game fails to be fun in any fashion, to the point where I literally had to force myself to finish it after having put it down several times. I'm going to play its sequel only because a friend says it's better, but if that one fails to be of any sort of fun I'm going to write off the era of Sonic games between Sonic Adventure 2 and SatSR (Sonic and the Secret Rings) completely without feeling an ounce of regret.
Avoid this one if you can for the sake of your blood pressure.

My Opinion: Burn It