User Rating: 9.3 | Sonic Jam SAT
By Egonga | Review Date:
With the phenominal success of Mario with Nintendo during the late 80's and early 90's, platform games were a wonderful new genre for which developers could make wonders. To differ itself from Ninty's fat plumber, Sega created Sonic, a super-cool, super-fast hedgehog who battled the evil Dr. Robotnik to free his friends from capture. The game gained a massive fanbase, and all four of the Megadrive/Genesis games are considered classics. And so on the Sega Saturn, Sonic Team opted to go retro with Sonic Jam, a combination of all four Sonic classics combined with an all-new 3D segment that doubled as a mini-game and a history of all things Sonic... For those of you who have never played a Sonic game before, the compromise is simple: you choose a route through the level, smashing any enemies that are foolish enough to get in your way, and dash to the exit at break-neck speed. Magical rings can protect you from damage if you're hit, although they'll scatter madly if you do and you'll need to retrieve more if you wish to remain invulnerable. After every other level you face at least one boss that requires strategy and skill to defeat. If you meet requirements, you'll face a special bonus stage in which you collect Chaos Emeralds. Sonic The Hedgehog sticks to these basics, and yet the sequels stick to this formula whilst providing subtle differences that may not seem much yet add a whole new gameplaying mechanic. Sonic 2 introduced a sidekick, Miles "Tails" Prower, to the mix, and the special stages were revamped. Previously they were a crazy rotating level of different spheres that you had to attempt to negotiate, but in Sonic 2 it was a 3D highway that you ran down collecting a set number of rings per lap. And this time, the Chaos Emeralds did something...they gave you Super Sonic, a super-fast, golden, invincible form of Sonic. Sonic 3 introduced more individual abilities to make Sonic and Tails feel different. Tails has controlled flight that lasts for brief periods of time but leave him vulnerable, and the ability to swim. Sonic can take advantage of special abilities in shields, which allow double-jumps, fire-jumps, and water-breathing. The level design is vastly improved, allowing more freedom in regards to routes. And finally, Sonic and Knuckles, the weaker of the series admittedly, adds new levels and the addition of a new controllable character, Knuckles. The main selling point of this was that it allowed you to place Sonic 2 or 3 into a special slot on the cartridge and play Knuckles in the previous titles. This feature is, thankfully, available in Sonic Jam. So, whilst providing four classics on a single CD, is there anything else new? Why, Sonic World of course, a brand-new 3D segment that acts as a mini-game and a small Sonic Museum. The graphics are exceptionally good for a Saturn game, although admittedly it is only a small area. Basically there are several buildings and a mini-game button. Mini-games include "Collect 10 rings!" or "Catch Tails!", items and persons scattered around the area. If you're a Sonic enthusiast, however, there is plenty to see and do. A Movie Theatre provides clips of Sonic adverts from around the world, theatrical trailers of the Sonic Anime Movie from Japan (good movie, although the English voice-overs sound like cowboys) and assorted other gems of Sonic Animation. An Art Gallery features concept art and original art related to Sonic, while a Music Store offers all the songs available in the 4 Sonic titles. And, most importantly, a history of every Sonic game made up until the game's release, including the arcade game I was never able to find :( If you're a Sonic enthusiast, you can't avoid this game. If you're new to Sonic, it'll be fairly cheap nowadays and well worth a try (unless you have Sonic Mega Collection...in which case don't bother). Great collection.

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