Sega blasts Sonic out in this action-packed sequel to Sonic Rush!
2D - it seems, is Sega's d'arc le triumph. Because each 2D Sonic game has been a right blast to play (minus Sonic Battle...).
On the Nintendo DS however, Sonic Rush introduced some new things into its classic, and somewhat timeless gameplay - TWO SCREEN ACTION.
You could be zipping around, jumping over enemies and things for a few seconds, then, immediately you shoot up into the air from some speed-ramp and suddenly you are following him right up to the next screen.
At first it can be a bit of a spin-out (in more than one sense of the word) and can take some getting used to - but it offers a sense of dynamics which the series never had before - you could see places to reach on the opposite screen, and then move to that location (for example). And also you could see enemy targets dropping things down on you from the top screen, which gives you an advantage.
Also introduced in Sonic Rush was 3D elements ontop of the already attractive 2D graphics. Whilst some of the animations were not up to the same level of character from the 2D games - they did give the game a bit of graphical depth as the character could then zoom in and out of levels and you would see Sonic get larger and smaller with the perspective changes.
All these kinds of things adds to the thrill-ride experience of the levels.
With Mario games you run and jump on stuff with precision - with Sonic games its all about getting from A to B in the most exhillirating way possible - whether it be grinding off of massive metal structures, firing out of cannons, being shot through the air from some kind of explosion. You never really get the chance to do some sight-seeing in Sonic Rush.
Aswell as the standard layout of the games progression (2 acts per level, and one boss character at the end) you had some catchy music, an extra character to play (Blaze) chaos emeralds to collect via some good 3D special stages controlled with the stylus and a map to see how far into the game you are.
All in all Sonic Rush delivered that sense of speed that was lost in previous Sonic games (except the 2D kind) and introduced some fine 3D elements, making it a perfect celebration of the two dimensions for Sonic.
Now - We have Sonic Rush Adventure! I was a bit sceptical at first - whenever I think of Adventure in a Sonic game, it has always been about half-baked plots, needless cutscenes and exploration and a true lack of action when it was needed the most - so I went into this game with not much to look forward to.
I won't go into the plot of things as its probably best for you to find out yourself as the game progresses (its all part of the fun) but lets say its probably one of the best stories in the Sonic series since ... well... its probably the best story in the Sonic series!
The characters you meet in the game, whilst not physically doing much in the game itself, they serve mostly as posts which you stand next to and converse with - and they pop up in the cut-scenes and things. But half of the game is about moving towards these characters on and on screen map (sort of like a mini RPG like zelda in a way).
It is the characters that become part of the game this time, and not just there for some extras in a cut-scene. When you start out - you see a picture of an island, and markers on that island of which you can investigate by selecting that point on the map.
You find where the characters you need to talk to easily enough, and once you exhausted some conversations - you just learn more things as time goes by.
This time they don't just drop you right into the world of Sonic - you have a training level to complete (handy) and most of the time, alot of things which you end up doing - you have the time to practice it. But rarely does the game become THAT difficult that you have to resort to using the training levels.
Between the map screen, story and the great presentation - you are treated to some fine 3D elements. And mostly this involves sea exploration on some vehicles that you get your pal Tails to build.
By collecting "Materials" from specific levels you are able to progress to different parts of the sea - which then unlocks more levels, and more materials.
This may sound daunting at first - but its all part of the fun. You see - sometimes you can have some bizzarre requests for materials, which could send you replaying another boss from another level, or going to a level that you have done before (which is often the case).
Once you found the island on the map by travelling there by your chosen vehicle - you can simply revisit ANY level or boss and collect more materials if and when you need them from a handy Y button menu which pops up.
And in the map screen itself in the little rendevous house that the characters stay in - you also get to select other things like time trials, and up to 100 missions which you can unlock and play.
Also - you can trade in your rings collected through your level exploring, which you can trade for something pretty to be placed on the map - AND not only that you have 7 chaos emeralds to collect by completing races against an oponent of the sea.
Now - back to the sea exploring. It is not slow paced, it does not get boring - so do not worry. At first you have a big blue map infront of you when you select to SET SAIL in the dock area. Then you draw a route with the stylus from one island or checkpoint to another.
Certain craft can only go certain distances - and each craft has to be built by gathering certain materials.
So the standard act 1 and 2 and then a boss progression is still there - but also you have some reasons to revisit levels because you also have this second part of the game to complete.
And they go along-side nicely, never do you feel that the sea segments are drowning out the action. The levels are so fast-paced (even more crazy than in Sonic Rush) that the exploration is a bit of a breath of fresh sea-air.
Once you have plotted your destination, you select OK and you set sail! At first you start out with having a jet-ski kind of vehicle - it can only go a small distance on the map - so you have to go to the places you can go to first, complete levels and bosses to get more materials so you can build another craft which can take you further out to sea.
Each craft has its own gameplay to enjoy. So just when you think you are paddling around the ocean in a fishingboat - you are completely taken away with the different things to do with each craft.
The jet-ski is an easy-going level (not that the others aren't), you press the screen with the stylus and the craft moves forwards quickly, and all you do is drag the stylus left to right to steer the craft.
You press the L trigger (or R trigger) to boost and smash into objects in your way, you can hit ramps and drag the stylus along the required direction shown to perform a trick - which gives you more boost.
Along the way you collect rings, have items to collect and you are scored accordingly at the end. Each trip with the jet-ski lasts only a minute or two and its over usually before you can get bored of it.
And once you have visited where you need to go - you can select from a menu to go to the place instead of island-hopping.
But as I said - you can earn certain things and unlock certain things by getting a high score and collecting rings and also going to places in the sea which have not yet been explored - so its not just there as an interesting stocking-filler inbetween levels - it IS part of the game itself and its quite well-done.
Your second craft you can get (once you collected the materials needed - don't worry, in the menu you can see exactly what levels contain what materials and all you need to do is complete those levels and then exit back to the island - of which then you build the craft to go to more levels) is much larger, with a large sail and WEAPONS!.
Getting from a to b is varied with each craft - and it is very entertaining when you see the things you have to do - for example, with the sailboat you can go further distances on the map, slower, but you get to shoot down enemies by "touching" them and assigning different weapons to kill certain enemies.
Each control-scheme is not fixed to be the same with every craft, but each one offers a certain degree of freedom. Which is always nice as it can change the pace of things for you.
Once that element is out of the way, you have the levels to clear (and fast!) and you have great 3d boss battles to play at the end of each level.
The music in the game has its good and bad points, if you can get passed the la la la, na na na and da de da lyrics of the title screen - then the rest of the music will be amazing for you as it goes well with the levels and the action on screen.
Some music (like the boss music) can become repetitive - especially when you have to revisit levels and bosses to get more materials.
There are plenty of things to achieve in the levels themselves, higher ranking at the end - fastest times, most rings, trick points and things like that - so usually you can exhaust the game without exhausting everything there is to do in it - this gives the game quite alot of depth than any other Sonic release.
And couple that with the sea exploration, missions, chaos emeralds and unlockables (and also you can play as Blaze) - there is far more to this 2D side-scroller than meets the eye. And there is more than your fare-share of gameplay to revisit. The story itself could last you about 3 - 4 hours for a person who has played sonic games before. But there is no way you would of achieved everything in that time, the replay value lasts just as long as you would want it to - you can revisit things whenever you like, there is always something to achieve or do. And with wireless play aswell, comparing scores and racetimes makes the game quite deep for what it actually is at its core. Something alot of Sonic games have tried to do before - and failed.
The presentation overall is quite brilliant. Bosses move good, they have quite a good amount of detail to them and the stages. And even the 3D elements in the 2D game itself can be surprisingly good.
There are some of the best 3D rendered stuff on this game that has ever graced the DS - something else to enjoy with this game. Everything runs smoothly, and even though some things are repeated - it never gets old too fast.
After about an hour or so you will probably want a break from the game itself, but then once you get back on its like a whole new game again, the game is paced in such a way that you can stop at any point (except during levels) save, and then when you continue all the gameplay elements are right there for you to do - that includes wireless battles, sea exploration, clearing missions, time trials and things like that.
So outside of the standard sonic gameplay - you have this little universe to enjoy.
It really is a must-buy of the year for the DS. And it will probably hold out for you for a long time. Alot of games - once you complete them there isn't much left to go back for. But with Sonic Rush Adventure, there is a massive chance that you will find something that you want to achieve or explore or revisit - whether you are going for special ranks or the best times to show your friends - or just playing it as you like. It is more than just another sonic game, its actually a game you can pick up and play anytime as the different gameplay elements give it much more than the whole 2D racing about gameplay (which is its core).
There ARE some bad points, but they are quite few. I would of hoped that you could play as more characters. Not so much doing the same levels or having the action seperated by silly character levels inbetween - what I mean is that You can play as Blaze - but apart from her physically looking and moving differently - there is really no need to have her there as Sonic is by far the better character.
It would of been nice to of had knuckles or tails as a playable character, and it would of been nice to of been able to team up with a friend wirelessly and use tails' flying skills to lift sonic up to find more unlockables - those kind of things would of given more reasons for wireless activity.
The wireless aspect could of been fleshed out a bit more, especially since the core elements are so great on the singleplayer experience.
The menu system is easy to navigate through so you don't literally need to travel across the sea all the time to visit levels quickly. And you can literally choose to fly through the game or take it more at a leisurely speed - which is why I thought it could of done with a different character which has a greater difference in personality than Sonic. Perhaps some levels can be a bit too hectic for some, so a slower-paced character (much like Mario with his precision jumping and exploration of the levels) could of made the game more appealing to people who are not fans of Sonic.
But if you want Mario - BUY MARIO. If you want the best Sonic game in years - then you need to get this.
Do not be fooled by the ADVENTURE in the title, its not like previous Sonic games where the adventure was like drinking some sort of toxic-chemical inbetween levels - Sonic Rush Adventure is literally just that.
Sonic - You have one of the greatest videogame characters of all time.
Rush - The levels are some of the fastest things you ever have played.
Adventure - You got core gameplay elements which rival any full adventure out there (in terms of entertainment).
Do yourself a favour and give Sonic a chance with this title :D