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Developer: Sonic Team
Publisher: Sega
Genre: Platform
Region: NTSC
Format:
Release Date: 15 Nov 05
User Rating
9 (6 votes) -
- Thwarting Dr Robotnik's nefarious schemes have never been this fun, especially with the blue hedgehog on the DS. Good clean fun for Sonic fans all over.
Overview
When I look back on some of the most entertaining times I have ever had in playing a video game, one of the prime examples I would draw from is the blue hedgehog. Never has a game combined speed and platforming in the way that Sega has been able to accomplish with Sonic, and I doubt that we will ever see a series capture it quite the same again. Well today I am going to discuss with you my experiences with the latest Sonic title to hit the Nintendo DS. Who would have thought we would have been seeing Sonic on a Nintendo system? But I suppose that is a whole other issue entirely. Well how did Sonic Rush fair on the DS? Read our full review to find out!
Gameplay
Going into this review, there was one thing that I was very worried about Sonic Rush – how it will handle on the dual screens. I should mention that for the most part the bottom screen (like many games) doesn't have a huge purpose. Most of the action in Sonic Rush will be taking place on the top screen, where you will see the high flying Sonic action like many of us are so in love with.
In Sonic Rush you will be playing as both Sonic and his good pal Blaze the Cat, both of which who controls identically. The story in this Sonic adventure is really no different than what we have seen in previous Sonic games, where you go up against the bad guy Dr. Robotnik. And basically it is your job to stop his most recent objective of obtaining these special emeralds. The story is of course not overly complex, but this is something that all Sonic fans have come to live with, and many of which don't mind this one bit. So in the end the story of Sonic Rush works but is nothing that will knock your socks off.
Let's now go into the actual gameplay of Sonic Rush, which many will probably not be surprised to know that the classic Sonic style is back again here in Sonic Rush. If you have ever played one of the first few Sonic game on the Genesis, you will know exactly what to expect from this game. If you are one who wants to feel extremely involved in the action on screen, you might find the mindless speed of Sonic Rush to be a little too "go with the flow", if you know what I mean.
In the end Sonic Rush plays exactly how I was hoping it would. Fast, fun, and just a great old school Sonic experience. If there was more to this game, then that I would have said it but the only real addition to the formula is the new character, but even Blaze doesn't do anything to alter the experience all that much. The gameplay is solid all the way around. Sure I would have liked to see some new upgrades to the formula, but even without them this is still a very playable and fun game.
Graphics
Visually Sonic Rush is just not a very stunning game, especially in comparison to how there was still so much room for improvement. I should state however that although I was not overly satisfied with the visuals of Sonic Rush, they were still not bad either. The big drawback I had though was the lack of detail that was found in the game. Sega has always done a great job in my opinion on this, but for whatever reason the environments and even Sonic himself seemed a bit underdeveloped. I thin more detail for both Sonic and the environments would have helped make this feel like a "newer" experience. In the end there are no real huge problems with the visuals, but still left room for improvement.
Fun Factor
If you are a fan of the old school Sonic titles, then Sonic Rush is a game that will give you a nice fun trip down memory lane. The game does very little in terms of revolutionizing this Sonic experience that we all know and love, but then again who doesn't enjoy the great Sonic action. Although at times I still was hoping for some new twists and turns, my overall feel of the game remained high throughout.
Overall
Sonic Rush in the end proves to be another experience, in which Sega comes out with a game that has a formula that has been proven to work time and again. Sonic Rush is a fun simple title that any Sonic fans worth their salt should really consider checking out. Think of all those times you wanted Sonic on your NES machine but you couldn't have him, well now you can on your DS and Sonic Rush is a great game to do it with.
- Gameplay
8.0 - Graphics
7.0 - Fun Factor
8.0 - Overall
8.0
