Review NaN of 9
Price Paid:
$30.00
from Gamerama Summary:
Hmm... this game is quite good. But it's not... classic Sonic good. Something feels different, as if the very soul of the game has been entirely replaced.
Yes, it's still Sonic running around and the speed of sound, but I find that there is way too much of that in this game. You will most likely be pushing on that left control pad button much more than any other button in this game. I remember beating the first level without looking at the screen while watching tv, because all you had to do was run from point A to point B without running into any obstacles. The other Sonic games had reflex-testing obstacles, and each level had it's own types of challenges. However, in this game, this is greatly lacking... and I have played all the levels.
There are a huge lack of enemies. I remember there were more enemies in the first couple of levels of any other Sonic game than this has in the entire game!
Level 1? I think I saw a couple of robo-bees, but that was it. Level 2? Didn't get much better at all.
Also, the levels have been done about a million times before. Any other Sonic veteran has been in the arctic, in an island in the sky, or even in a giant spaceship. Sure, these sound cool, but not after the 5th time through (for an exact count, I remember space levels in Sonic and Knuckles, Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Heroes, and Sonic Advance 1. I also think it was the same thing for Sonic 1 and Sonic 2, but in different ways). There are actually some new types of levels, including a music plant, but they just don't feel right. They feel a little... empty.
By the way, does anyone else here miss the old version of getting chaos emeralds (they are hidden collectables throughout the game which usually open up a special extra boss fight)? I do. You would simply find one of the many bonus rings scattered throughout the game, jump in, and start a fun kind of challenge. This was the version from Sonic 3 and Sonic and Knuckles. In Sonic 2, it was still pretty similar, but you just needed enough rings at the checkpoints to get to the extra stages.
In this game, you have to go look around each level until you find 5 special rings, which you must hold onto until the end of the level. Finding these things are next to impossible in later levels and insanely frustrating, taking away from the fast-paced fun. The bonus stages are also insanely tough in later levels (although they are much better than the Sonic Advance 1 bonus stages).
Also, in Sonic 2, 3, and Sonic and Knuckles, once you got all the emeralds, you could transform into Super Sonic (or whatever other character you were using) at any time during any level after collecting enough rings. In this game, I don't see that. Running around the level at freaking high speeds while completely invincible to most obstacles was freakin' awesome! In this game, you only go Super at the final boss fight, and that's never as much fun.
Speaking about boss fights, you will learn to hate them in this game. For each boss fight, you find yourself running across an endless level while trying to jump on the boss, damaging him.
The problem with this is that it is insanely tough to get to the boss, as you are constantly pummelled with everything the boss has, and each time you get hit, it sends you right back to the far left of the screen, while the boss remains at the far left. Annoying! Also, each time you die, you will have to start the entire boss fight all over again.
However, there are some good characters to choose from, and depending on which one you choose, you will see that each level will play a little differently (also, if you pick Cream the Rabbit, who has the worst name ever, you can seriously out-cheap the bosses. Use her wisely for your ultimate revenge against the system! Muahahahahaha!).
The good: Different characters=slightly different playing styles, nice graphics
The bad: Gameplay can get boring/frustrating really fast
Without looking: Odds are you can beat the 1st level Report this review >>
| 
3 of 5
0 of 5
5 of 5
4 of 5
