by: John Olin

August 27, 2007

is new speedfest is also entitled ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ in a direct reference to the original Sonic on the Genesis and Master System, and throughout development there has been mention of Sonic’s return to platforming greatness with this title. Does Sonic deliver on this promise, or has he just become a typically awkward teenager?

Well, for a start, the game is another 3D adventure for the spiny one, so that throws the whole returning to his roots idea out of the window. Furthermore, Sonic is joined by Tails, Knuckles, Rouge, Amy, newcomer Silver and… you get the idea. Now I don’t know about you but I distinctly remember Sonic taking on Robotnik solo back in his debut, not a veritable army gunning for some dude named Eggman. Surely this should have been Sonic Heroes 2? Already you can see that taken as a return to the Sonic of old, Sonic the Hedgehog 2006 fails miserably. On its own merits however, there are some bad and good moments, some of which emulate the series’ lowest of 3D lows, and some of which give you the Sonic high that you’ve been longing for ever since Sonic Team dropped the Hedgehog into a pool of 3D rendering gloop. There are even several Psi-Ops like Acts for you to look forward to, more of which later.

So, Sonic the Hedgehog no longer works alone or in two dimensions, that we have established, but what exactly does this mean for the game at hand? Well, rather than simply having one quest to play through, there are three Chapters, two of which are unlocked as you progress with Sonic. The latter two Chapters are reserved for new ‘Hog Silver, who boasts some nifty Psychokinetic powers (and how else did you expect Sonic Team to show off the Havok Physics Engine in a Sonic game?), and old hand and rival, Shadow. Even better (or worse depending on your point of view) comes the realisation that your three heroes work in teams: at specific points control will switch from your Hedgehog to another character who befits the situation more appropriately, such as Tails for leaping vast chasms, Knuckles for beating things up, Rouge for… well I don’t quite know what she is good for as she feels like something of an afterthought when you take control of her, playing almost identically to Knuckles but coming with the added bonus of the most inadequately tuned sniping capability I’ve yet to see in a game. Fortunately, these characters are only used for short periods of time, and for the majority of play you will be in control of the much better (but still often suspect) Hedgehogs.

Sonic is fast in this 360 game. Fast almost to the point of uncontrollability. Early on in your quest, don’t feel bad if you lose control of Sonic as he falls to yet another of his beloved deaths, because as time progresses you will learn to master his excessively twitchy control system, and you may even make stunningly good use of it! Fortunately his Homing Attacks are accurate enough to cause few problems, but his running and jumping abilities could have definitely done with some more tuning, let alone fine tuning. To prove that Sonic is fast, you’ll occasionally come across levels that force you to speed forwards toward a goal in narrow environments. Sonic is running whether you like it or not, and all you need to do is jump and dodge the obstacles that come from the front and behind. This is easier said than done mind, because the speed you are moving at makes it almost impossible to pick up rings purposefully. Instead you’ll be hammering X like there’s no tomorrow in the hope of ‘catching’ a line of rings. Annoyingly you will hit the tiniest of obstacles and you’ll lose all of your rings. Then you’ll hit something else, die and be whisked back to the beginning of the stage. Because the speed is so high and the controls are so loose, you may even find yourself losing all of your lives and being returned to the beginning of the Act, which is a most terrible thing indeed as some of the Acts really are quite lengthy. When you finally do manage to make it past these sections, you’ll be screaming for your Achievement Points, and you know that if this game had been published by EA you’d have received 1000 points simply for passing the first of these levels. Unfortunately, EA had nothing to do with this game, so you’ll have to work hard for those valuable points. Really hard.

Silver, the second Hedgehog you’ll unlock, feels much steadier under the analogue sticks, as he moves noticeably slower than Sonic. Silver’s abilities lie within his mind, as he is able to manipulate objects around him and throw them at his adversaries. He is also able to use his skills to knock down suspiciously placed walls to open new paths, and to bend metal girders which can then be used as a spring board to catapult him to his next destination. His tighter controls do make life much easier, and although there are moments that will have you gnashing your teeth in frustration, it can’t be denied that Silver’s quest is much more enjoyable and easier than Sonic’s, and you can’t help but wonder if Silver really should have been the star of the show.

Finally you’ll unlock Sonic’s one time nemesis, Shadow. Shadow’s control scheme is pitched somewhere between both Sonic and Silver and he comes with the great ability to punch, kick and use a variety of vehicles, some of which are fun to use, some of which just are not. Unfortunately, he is nowhere near as deadly as he is in his cutscenes, but his attacks are easy enough to control and he doesn’t move so fast that you end up making the same mistakes you do with Sonic.

Despite the differences in control schemes between the heroes, all levels are fraught with unnecessary difficulties. In one part of Sonic’s Crisis City level, it is even possible to die before the end of a cutscene by sensibly preparing for the imminent level and pushing the analogue stick in the direction you need to go. Unbelievable. Other times you’ll find that switching between rails whilst sliding down them is also incredibly difficult and often hard to judge. Although many of the more obtuse routes hold collectible medals (required for earning those precious Achievements), it can sometimes be so difficult to reach them that you’ll cut your losses and concentrate on the easiest route rather than risk wasting lives and with them your level progress. Even more annoyingly, although the game throws unfair deaths at you time and time again, Sonic the Hedgehog still manages to amaze on occasion, meaning that you can’t just give up on the game. When you lock you character onto a set route that has been laid out in a level, through the use of speed pads, bumpers, spring boards and lines of rings, things do look fantastic. Unfortunately, because the player exerts very little control over these sections once you are on them, these parts of the game resemble very pretty and cool looking cutscenes. However, because you know full well that by missing the first part of these sections you would have likely slipped off an edge and died, there is still a great sense of satisfaction to be had in these instances. Elsewhere, boss battles are also often fun and had the camera been a little more wieldy, would have had the potential to be great. Most of the bosses are vast creatures that look and animate well, but do remind heavily of the Dreamcast Sonic games as opposed to feeling particularly next-gen.

Some of the frustrations that Sonic the Hedgehog presents are relieved somewhat by the graphical design of the game. All of the main characters look good (although the inconsequential Soleanna residents might as well be zombies), and the environments that you’ll be running through certainly are colourful and fit well within the Sonic Universe. Crisis City in particular has some stand out moments that look spectacular as Sonic breezes through shattering glass and collapsing buildings. On the other hand there are generic and bland areas, such as the White Acropolis, the Town Hub of Soleanna and the Volcano. Fortunately, the wonderfully inane soundtrack to Sonic the Hedgehog will likely pull you through these sections.
Definitely not a return to Sonic’s roots by any stretch of the imagination, Sonic the Hedgehog really is a mixture of good, average and bad, but mostly bad. Still, despite the bashing the game has received so far in this review, it is almost impossible to hate the game. The character exerted by Sonic and his pals hold an infectious charm that really keep you interested in the story, even if it does resemble a somewhat cheesy anime. Perhaps Tails is just a little too chirpy for his own good, but he isn’t featured all that often and the rest of the cast certainly make up for him. Despite dying time and time again, the game holds enough charm and fun sections to keep you persevering through what really is quite a substantial quest.

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If you love Sonic (platonically of course) and were going to buy this game whether it scored 1/10 or 10/10, just be aware that the latest Sonic the Hedgehog game does feature some atrociously poor design in places. However, if you are of the camp that cannot stand the Hedgehog or his incessantly happy friends, then this game will not change your opinion one iota. It will in fact cement it.

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