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Don't listen to people who tell you that this game is gimmicky and unfortunate, like most other Sonic games. This is a hedgehog of a different color.
Taking the best elements of Sonic Unleashed and of recent outings like Sonic 4, this game is all about speed, with Sonic taking advantage of the power of the alien wisps to traverse beautiful alien landscapes in a frantic platforming adventure.
The alien powers come in different colors, each one granting Sonic a useful ability. Most of them, with a few exceptions, are fun and keep the game fast and furious, as it should be.
The farther into the game you get, the more of these alien powers you earn. These can be used in previous levels, creating a fantastic replay value, allowing you to traverse levels in a number of different ways.
Sonic doesn't dissapoint this time, this game is pure fun. Aside from a startling number of cheap deaths and strange physics, this game is a solid effort by Sonic Team. Despite it's kiddy premise and storyline, there is much more to this game than meets the eye, and a more difficult, hardcore game can be found beneath the surface. Beautiful graphics and clever gameplay keep this game a step ahead of the previous Sonic disasters.
Sonic Colors is a fantastic game and is extremley inventive and colorul. I commend Sonic Team's efforts, this Sonic isn't as slow as the others, and I give it only my full reccomendation!
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(Wait, was he ever gone?)
Sonic Colors has superb controls awesome levels excellent music ('cept Asteroid Coaster) stunning graphics (for Wii) but the story is silly and the voices are off but there is SUPER SONIC in the MAIN LEVELS!!!!
All right, I'll now decipher the above sentence. First of all, this game proves that Sonic the Hedgehog games still can appeal to a wide audience of gamers. I mean, the professional critics are running out of stuff to pick at! Myself, I am an enormous fan of Sonic, and have played nearly every game he has ever starred in, own and have read nearly all his hundreds of comic books, and watched almost every TV show of his. Obsessive? Maybe, but come on, he's "Way past cool"! (Comics fans will know where that came from) Now, I'm in a strange position, however, because faced with the game that so nearly reaches perfection, if find myself unable to give it five stars, even though it has far fewer flaws than Sonic Unleashed(which I rate a five). But let's get on to the game itself, and compare its many aspects.
+ Controls? Spot-on accurate. Sonic moves when you move the joystick, he jumps when you press A. There's no twitchiness, no lag, no headaches. The camera is fixed, but it's fixed in the proper location for each shot. This game also has a complement of several power-ups. They come in the form of aliens endowed with "Color Powers". One transforms Sonic into a drill, another into a laser, and so on. They make the game have immense replayability, as many areas are unreachable until certain power-ups are unlocked later on in the game.
+ Level design? Beautiful, fast, challenging, and yet intuitive. Did you want a 3D Sonic with levels in the style of the Genesis Classics? Here it is. Over the years Sonic Adventure always seemed to me to be the most like the originals in level design, but Sonic Colors ----if it was transformed into 2D and given 16-bit rendering---would not seem out of place in the slightest. They are expansive, there are multiple pathways throughout them, and their artistic flair, coloring, and details are incredible. And finally, SEGA has given us a game where Sonic can adventure under water! Sonic Adventure is the only other 3D Sonic game where this is possible ----and that came out in 1999! I think a lot of fans have waited a long time for this (I know I have!), and Sonic Team delivered. Plus, if one presses the jump button repeatedly while underwater, Sonic can actually swim upwards! Yes, for those who care, this kind of messes with the whole "Sonic can't swim" backstory, but it makes the game a whole lot funner. Aquarium Park represents the pinnacle of this game's achievement, in my opinion. The soft twilight lighting, the elaborate detail of the Asian pagodas and buildings, the blue-domed sky, the majestic yet haunting beauty of the lumionous sea creatures in the dark water ----oh, it's magnificient. One of the best zones in all of Sonic history, and probably platform gaming! One must also not fail to mention the inclusion of the classic "badniks" from older entries into the series. To see robots like "Crabmeat" and "Buzzbomber" in a modern 3D Sonic game lends such a classic authenticity to the title, reminding me of the Genesis originals and the excellent TV show Sonic The Hedgehog The Complete Series ("SatAm"). In addition to all of this single-player extravagance, there is an excellent two-player area as well. Sonic Adventure 2 Battle (2001) was probably the last main game in the series to have a multiplayer aspect that was worth playing. Sonic Colors has a whole zone called "Sonic Simulator" where two players can race each other to the finish with multicolored "Sonic Robots" or their Mii avatars. The levels are simple, with players pretty much traversing paths through worlds of few colors and backgrounds composed of floating shapes, but this allows the graphics to remain top-notch without succumbing to framerate slowdown. The music is remixed versions of the main levels, rendered in "retro" video game fashion. Players can help or hinder each other, and the competion encountered while playing can be hilarious. The Boss Battles are some of the best in the series, mixing speed and agility in a gripping balance. Some of the early ones are pretty easy, but by the end of the game you will definitely find yourself challenged.
+ Music? Memorable, pleasant, well-orchestrated, and vibrantly detailed. Aquarium Park (there's that place again!) holds top honors; Terminal Velocity guards the bottom of the barrel position.
Tropical Resort has a sort of surfer theme to it. It is fast paced and fun, with a steady beat and a great array of guitars that are not screaching out heavy metal riffs.
Starlight carnival goes a more techno route, and yet is very upbeat and happy ----exactly what one would like in a carnival.
Planet Wisp has a beautiful theme based around a piano. Its soft and thoughtful, somewhat melancholy, yet pretty in its own right.
Sweet mountain is one of the weaker entries here, yet it is still entertaining, what with its mix of 1940s trumpets and early 1960s guitars. Its not entirely memorable, but it's not grating.
Aquarium Park. Heart-achingly stunning! Piano! Violins! Soft yet steady drums! Electronic synthesizers used to perfection! Just thinking about the music makes me want to cry with happiness. It has an Asian-styled theme that is mournful at times, optimistic at others, and always beautiful. These tracks alone would justify buying the soundtrack (which comes out in Japan late December. Check out amazon.co.jp if you are interested). One of my favorite bits of video-game music. Huh, it's one of the best pieces of music I've heard this year.
Asteroid Coaster jarringly shifts into rock, which in a game this artistic in approach felt quite jarring. It has a distinctive pattern running through it, but it just feels lacking compared to the other music here. Even as rock goes, it was not quite fantastic. About the only person who can pull off rock in a Sonic game is Jun Senoue (Sonic Adventure 1 and 2, Sonic Heroes, etc.). A lot of his Sonic music may be on the harsh side, but at least it is memorable and about as "epic" as rock can get. The music here was just kind of bland and irritating. But things can always get worse...
....and they do in Terminal Velocity. Take all of the complaints lodged above (note "bland") and apply that here to the bland whines of this level. Did I mention bland?
+Graphics? Probably the best on the Wii. At times you could mistake this for a PlayStation3 game. Of course on closer observation one could note their error, but "closer" bears key importance here. The imagery is really that good.
Here come the problems with the game.
-The story is really pretty light. Basically, the evil Dr. Eggman claims to have given up his evil ways, and to prove his good will he has constructed an enormous amusement park in outer space. Sonic figures it's just a scheme for power, and of course he's right. Sonic and his friend Tails the two-tailed fox go up to space to investigate. They find that Eggman is using his park as a means to capture a certain race of aliens called Wisps. He intends to use their power to fuel a mind-control ray down to Mobius, the world where Sonic lives. While this premise sounds reasonably threatening (and somewhat comic-book-like), it is executed as a comedy. Is there anything wrong with that? Not really. But it just seems to miss a bit of heart. When I think of Sonic the Hedgehog stories ----whether it be in video game, comic book, or cartoon form---I think of comedy, but the overarching memory is that of a story that really was gripping in an emotional sense. Sonic Advenure 1 and 2 are prime examples of this. Their storys could be transferred directly to the big screen and few would scoff. Sonic and the Black Knightwas imaginative and sad, but had a powerful message. The story in Sonic Colors is about as "epic" as its name (translation: it's not!) Yes, this is a game. Yes, it's a platforming game. Yes, stories are not really integral to this kind of game. But a great story doesn't hurt. This story wasn't bad, but it was just filled with jokes. Non-offensive, thankfully, but just puns and slapstick and childish humor. In many ways it resembled a story one would find in a Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destructiongame(except that, as mentioned earlier, the jokes in Sonic Colors are not offensive). The voice actors for all but Dr. Eggman have been changed. For those new to the series this has little impact. Some familiar with the series will find this welcome. Yet I do not believe I am alone in missing the old voice of Sonic and his friends. This is really getting into minor impact territory, but it still has an impact.
-Semi-minor annoyance: In every other Sonic game, when the player collects one hundred rings, they are granted an extra life. I believe this is the only game in which this is not true, and its absence is sorely missed (especially on those challenging levels!). Here's hoping this is just a one-time event.
-The difficulty is often rather low. Not that that is a bad thing, as this game was designed primarily for younger children. Sometimes though, a little extra challenge would have been nice.
-The game is kind of short. The story mode can be beaten in a day. Even to go back and collect the bonuses does not take very long. I and my siblings have been playing this game since it came out on Nov. 16, and as of Nov. 23 we have finished about 75% of the games side missions.
All in all, this game is highly recommended, and is a brilliant revelation of the fact that SEGA has learned from its successes and failures with the franchise.
It's not the greatest Sonic, but its a high-ranking title in the series.
P.S. ----Did I mention that you can play Super Sonic in the main levels? That is AWESOME! When all of the 180 special rings have been collected, and all of the Sonic Simulator levels have been completed, Sonic can transform into his invulnerable, superfast "Super" form. You can go back and replay any of the main levels in this form (after collecting 50 rings in the level). This game is the first 3D Sonic game in which this is possible. It brings back so many memories of the Genesis classics! A brilliant move that was well worth the wait.
Ryan Robledo
Best Deals for Sonic Colors - Nintendo Wii
I've been a fan of Sonic since the first time I picked up Sonic the Hedgehog on my Sega Genesis. Unfortunately, he's tested my will for the last several years with some horrible 3D efforts.
Sonic Colors, surprisingly, gets everything right. As I played through the game, I couldn't help but anticipate something wrong to happen...it was just too good to be true. This time, they throw in some aspects new to the series, in the form of small aliens called Wisps that give you different powers. These are a fun addition to the series, and allows for much more creative level design without slowing down the Sonic speed that we play the games for.
The story is mostly standard, cutesy Sonic fare, with the welcomed addition of some honest, self-aware humor from Sonic Team. The graphics are some of the best on the Wii, in both character and level design. Like the name says, the colors and lighting are gorgeous on this game. Even the sound is good...the voice acting is actually pretty decent!
The biggest plus is the gameplay, which unsurprisingly, plays a bit like a faster Super Mario Bros game. The controls are tight, and the level design is nearly perfect. Sonic still moves fast, and this time it's actually fun to control. There's about 12 hours of gameplay through the story, and a lot of incentive to keep playing to find the challenging red rings in the levels. The game suddenly hits you with a big difficulty curve. I had quite a few moments of frustration that nearly killed the entire game for me. We're talking serious wanna-chuck-the-controller-into-expensive-television moments.
Pros: Great graphics, level design, and gameplay.
Cons: Steep difficulty curve, some menus look very thrown-together.
In conclusion, this is a great game I'd recommend to new gamers, and experienced veterans alike. It's the first Sonic game of the last three years I can honestly tell fans of the series to go pick up.
Honest reviews on Sonic Colors - Nintendo Wii
It's hard to believe that I was a wee young lad of eleven years when "Sonic Adventure" was released for the Dreamcast to all the hype and excitement Sega could muster. At that age, I really did not care to slow down and notice the bugs, glitches, and terrible design choices that riddled the game I was too busy running fast and standing in awe of what might have been the most impressive graphics of the day. However, the game certainly has not aged well. Enter sequel after sequel of bad 3D hedgehog platformers that required the patience of Mother Theresa to play. Does "Colors" follow the trend, or set Sonic back on his speedy path?
The latter, to a certain extent. "Colors" is definitely a step in the right direction, and the game very much reminds me of those moments in the "Sonic Adventure" games when they fired on all cylinders and gave us healthy doses of speed. Thankfully, many of the issues that plagued the earlier games are fixed here.
Let's start with the story. Well, let's call it a premise, since there's very little plot development here (a good thing). Dr. Robotn excuse me, Eggman has built a giant multi-planet amusement park under the guise of being sorry for his past misdeeds. Sonic pays a visit and finds a bunch of aliens called "Wisps" being enslaved by Eggman for the purpose of powering a gigantic death ray. That's it. No deathly serious tales of anthropomorphic hedgehogs and humans sharing disturbing emotional attachments. No amnesiac biological experiments serving under demonic alien masters. No overweight felines searching for pet frogs. "Colors" is all lighthearted and self-aware Saturday morning cartoon fare, and while it's rather kiddie in its approach, the delivery is more than passable. Sonic is more of a lovable idiot than a gnarly 80s snowboarder with serious 'tude, Tails sounds like a boy for once, and Dr. Eggman is, well, Dr. Eggman. Animations are smooth, and cutscenes are (mostly) well-scripted.
The graphics on display here are great. Even at 4:3 and 480i, colors are vibrant, textures are smooth, and the environments look great. However, I have encountered one area in Sweet Mountain where, upon using the drill power, the frame-rate took a significant hit, to the tune of around 10-20 frames per second. Some occasional slow-down is acceptable, but in this case, it altered the playability of the game. Likewise, the sound effects are good. Everything sounds about how a Sonic game should be expected to sound. The music here has been dialed back from the pseudo-speed-metal of previous entries, favoring a fast-paced pop-rock soundtrack. Preference is key here, as the soundtrack is decidedly fitting, but I actually somewhat miss the "cheese" factor of the music from previous games.
Gameplay is primarily where the game stumbles. I have a high tolerance for gameplay issues (after all, I actually enjoyed the admittedly terrible "Shadow the Hedgehog"), but when the gameplay is so polished in much of "Colors," the rougher portions stick out like a sore thumb. Sonic controls very tightly, as long as he stays on the ground (or under it, for that matter). Rail-grinding, a staple of 3D Sonic games since "Adventure 2," is simplified to the point of becoming superfluous. The fully 3D parts of the game are handled well for the most part, but they often lose their momentum by virtually playing themselves (almost half of the impressive-looking Starlight Carnival, Act 1 plays completely free of player input). I recognize that much of the "Adventure" games had similar sections, but they are not as numerous and as long-lasting as those in "Colors." What little gameplay is here is actually excellent, and causes me to wonder why these sections of true 3D gameplay are so few and far between. Instead, "Colors" ends up being a side-scroller with 3D sections allowing the player a break from the action. Perhaps Sega was, for once, being a bit too conservative in their design choices here. Fortunately, transitions between the two perspectives are smooth. Jumping, on the other hand, is a different story. The control is passable, but it is far from tight. I found simple 2D platforming action to be a chore, and some environmental challenges such as the candy swings in "Sweet Mountain" were downright frustrating. The frustrations are few and far between, though, and Sonic's controls are improved tenfold from previous games. Thankfully, the camera shoots the action from appropriate angles and rarely, if ever, gets stuck or blocks something important from view.
Environment design is fantastic, but level design is a different story. It's not bad, it's just not great. The introduction of multiple pathways utilizing the different Wisp abilities is certainly welcome, but nothing here is particularly memorable. In the "Adventure" series, Sonic escaped a killer whale that demolished the very bridge he ran along, ran straight down the side of a building while dodging obstacles, snowboarded down a steep city street, and boarded a rocket launching towards space. While everything else in "Color's" is much more polished, it seems to lack any true "Wow" moments (at least, until halfway through the game, where I am now). Design is just a little boring and a little generic. Likewise, level length is woefully unbalanced, with one mission taking a full six or seven minutes to complete on an initial run-through, and the next taking fewer than forty-five seconds. Much to the game's benefit, however, there are numerous routes and secrets through levels, and the speed-and-ring-count ranks are back (from best to worst: S, A, B, C, D, E). There are also forty-four stages, each with 5 red rings to locate, so there is plenty of game here to keep the player busy. Some aspects of exploration simply feel a bit forced, and trimming the fat could provide opportunity for adding a more cinematic quality to the game.
Maybe I'm being a bit harsh on "Colors," but after so much disappointment, I have to compare "Colors" to the blue hedgehog's troubled past. The results are promising but not altogether convincing. This is no "Super Mario Galaxy 2," nor is it a "Shadow the Hedgehog." But as a gaming icon, Sonic's future looks much brighter with "Colors," and, when it comes down to it, the game rarely stops being fun. I fear that previous disappointment, as well as the game's silly story and cartoon-like presentation, will land Sonic's appeal squarely in a much younger demographic. However, Sega obviously realizes that older fans such as myself have had their patience tested and their nerves tried for a decade now. Perhaps the focus toward tenand twelve-year-olds could salvage the beaten mascot's image for a new generation of gamers. Still, there is quite a bit of depth here worth the cash, even if blood, guts, and guns is your thing. Wholeheartedly recommended to families, and cautiously recommended to older gamers. Just don't let me convince you to purchase this platformer if you have not bought any of Nintendo's chubby, red-hatted plumber's Wii titles, especially "Super Mario Galaxy 2."
Ten-point scale: 7/10 Good
Pros: Sense of speed, excellent graphics, decent sound and voice acting, simplicity of control, multiple paths and secrets encourage exploration, replay value, "Sonic The Hedgehog 2" style 2-player mode.
Cons: Somewhat boring level design, unbalanced level length, mid-air control is slippery, too little genuine 3D action, plays itself entirely too often.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Sonic Colors - Nintendo Wii
Sonic Unleashed, 2008's 3D outing for the Sonic franchise, was a mixed bag. While the daylight
levels were well-made and fun to play through (sometimes), the Werehog levels were tedious and
ended up making me quit before I finished, something which I almost never do with a game. Adding
in the pointless medal-collecting in order to progress, a poorly-taken cue from the Mario
franchise, and keeping the awful voice acting which diehard Sonic fans (myself included) had
to grow accustomed to, Unleashed was a baby step forward, but two leaps backwards. But finally,
after 15 years of decent (Sonic Adventure, Sonic Heroes) to mediocre (Shadow the Hedgehog)
to god-awful (2006's Sonic the Hedgehog) 3D entries, Sonic Team has finally gotten their act together
and given us what they've always promised: a truly great game. Enter Sonic Colors for the Wii.
Gameplay: A+
Imagine the good old days of the Sega Genesis Sonic, spliced with finely-tuned 3D mechanics,
coupled with amazing power-ups that turn seemingly-predictable levels on their head. That's
just a hint of what Sonic Team has done with Colors. While other 3D Sonic games have failed
at finding the balance point between speed and accuracy in the controls, this outing finally
makes maneuvering Sonic a blast and not an irritating game of trial and error. As for
the powers you acquire as the game progresses, which seemed to be the most dreaded feature
of the game, they're nothing less than stellar. Each one works exactly like it should, and
as you get more of these abilities, you'll find yourself replaying levels, if not whole worlds,
to uncover secrets you may or may not have noticed the first time around.
Story: A+
Yes, Sonic games have stories. And even for the lesser entries, the one complaint I've never
had were with the plots (well, except for Sonic Heroes; I don't what was up with that one).
But despite the overall quality of the plots, the dialogue and little things in between the
major story points were always pretty dull. And THIS is where the writers of Happy Tree
Friends and the fantastic game MadWorld come in. Every little cutscene is laced with gut-busting
one-liners and fast exchanges between Sonic and Tails, and the plot itself has a lot of nice environmental
overtones. Robotni-... I mean, EGGMAN, is trying to capture cute little aliens and turn them into
fuel for his intergalactic amusement park, which he intends to use to take over planets. While it's
admittedly simplistic, I have to give the writers kudos for drawing comparisons to our current
climate and consumption issues. Of course, there always is the possibility that I'm reading too much
into it, so you may have to decide for yourself. But there's no denying that the writing in
this entry is snappy, fun and entertaining.
Graphics: A+
Every world springs to life on the stage with vivid colors, from the bright neons of the Starlight
Carnival to the soothing ripples of the Aquatic Park. If you think you've seen the best
graphics the Wii has to offer in a third party game, well, think again. Every little processor of
the system is pushed to it's very limit, and shows that the Wii still has a quite a bit of
life left in it, and also serves as a nice middle finger to the graphical snobbery offered by
the 360 and PS3.
Sound: A+
The first thing you'll notice as soon as the first cutscene begins is that Sonic no longer sounds
like a jock, and Tails no longer sounds like an infant Justin Bieber. Yes, these are the new
voice actors we've been hearing so much about, and quite frankly, I think they're the best
the franchise has ever had. No more wooden dialogue, no more awkward silences, no more
cringe-inducing exchanges, no more missed lip movements... everything about the voice acting
is flawless. And the music, the sweet, sweet music, is a perfect balance between retro chic and
current synthesizer technology, paired with fast beats and dramatic orchestral flair. So, yeah,
it's good.
Overall: A+
A joy to watch, a pleasure to hear, and a thrill to play, Sonic Colors reminds us why we've
kept giving this old blue hedgehog a chance over the years: because when given the right
opportunity, he can compete with the likes of Mario and Nathan Drake. There should be no
hesitation when you go into the store to purchase this game, because for the first time
in fifteen years, you can be confident that what you're buying is a great game. Thank
you, Sonic Team and Sega, for keeping true to your promise this time around.
