Sonic Colors Review

Um, WTF?

Rank @ End

Summary

OH NO

Gameplay and Level Design

Sonic Colors is creative with its levels. Neat ideas and colors really bring it all to life. Yet with the exception of the Asteroid Coaster, I don't think it lives up to Amusement Theme, falling short in comparison to Eggmanland. The numerous amount of acts makes the novelty wear off incredibly quick. The menu design and Mario-like layout is disgusting. I would like a hub world a lot better, but this is the Wii I guess! 

The gameplay, on the surface, is a rip-off from the day stages of Sonic Unleashed, where Sonic utilizes the "boost to win" formula and the camera toggles between 2-D and 3-D. HOWEVER. The CONTROLS make what should be a similar experience a horrible one. For example, the quick step (which quickly dodges Sonic to the left/right) can now only be done by tilting the Wii remote. That's supposed to move him anyway, right?! The slide is by far the worst, being the B button (which is easy to accidently hit). Furthermore, the game seems over zealous with the 2-D portions, which end up being just as difficult/bothersome (if not moreso) than the 3-D parts and an annoying (rather than natural) switch. The boss fights are repeative and a nuisance.

That's only the first half. The second is the Wisps. They are supposed to break-up the formula. Instead they BREAK THE GAME. The Wispons in Sonic Forces were a gift! At least they were controllable: these are impossible. The drill and rocket are the worst. Often they are are a hindrance, and never a help. Yet they aren't optional: they're required, or at least some point in the game.     

It's just not fun. Unleashed, Rush--they were fun. 06 was glitch-ridden and it even it was fun! Colors was annoying and felt like a waste. 

Story and Characters

Horrible! The story is worthless. First, why should I care about the Wisps? There's no real bond, like with Chip or the people in hub-worlds. It's just expected. The Black Arms, Cosmo and the Meterex, the species from Sonic Chronicles...All had more to offer. Next, if the character focus is Sonic and Tails, how does it change them? It doesn't! They're exactly the same from start to finish, static! Eggman's a comedic hoot, and his new robots are the worst incarnation of his henchmen. I miss Scratch and Grounder! And how are the stakes raised, where's the Chaos Emeralds? They're not here, they're just for if you want to play as Super Sonic in the levels (which is NOT fun in these "modern" games). 

As bad as the story is, the script is even worse. Every thing is a cringe-worthy joke. It's lucky this game did not kill the series for good (though with the way it tainted the games to come, in a way it did).  

Music and Voice Acting

Horrible. Let's get voice acting out of the way first. Roger Craig Smith is not a good Sonic voice. As I've mentioned, he's not the right vocal type and he didn't have the same energy. He does sound like a late teen, but it's just not Sonic. He improved by Forces and by TSR I was actually impressed. But I have to wonder why they hired him originally. Here, he's at his worst. The silly script doesn't help, but that doesn't excuse the flat-ness from lines like "Tails, buddy, are you alright?" The sound effects (such as the dying one) are the worst in the entire series' run. 

I also can't stand the "wisp annoncer." Was that really necessary?! When I think of annoying voices, I usually expect someone high-pitched, but the low-pitched "Rocket!" "Laser!" "GAAME OFFER." are some of the worst, again, in the series run. At least Sonic Riders gave the option of shutting omachao up!  

Kate Higgin's Tails voice isn't bad, but it's not the best, either. Sure, he sounds boyish. No more complaints about Tails sounding like a girl. Now the problem? He sounds like he's 16! 14, at least, not 8! Not nearly as innocent or clever sounding as in previous games. Orbot and Cubot were not very robot-like, and Cubot's actual voice was the worst version. Eggman generally sounds the same as in other games, but doesn't have the same edge. His tone is more annoyed with Sonic than threatened.

The music, like the game in general, is clearly trying to rip-off of Unleashed. The "exploratory" vibe of the title screen, for example, is a generic attempt at surpassing Unleashed's world map theme. The levels are a diverse, good quality mesh, but it just falls flat compared to the games before it. It's not bad, but not very memorable. The vocal themes have aged terribly bad. They scream early 2010s more than Owl City's "Fireflies." Plus the lyrics just weren't very good to begin with.   

Visuals and Graphics

The visuals are not bad. The designs are fairly expressive and everything is colorful. Still, it's animation is shabby compared to Unleashed. Even it's best cutscenes are lacking compared to the opening of Sonic 06 (made 4 years prior).  

Final Thoughts

Tails: That mind control won't work! I can't turn against you, Sonic! 

Me: YOU ALREADY HAVE DUMBXXX.

:0

Game animations: let's reference Sonic X 

Sega: BTW we finally replaced those stupid Sonic X voice actors

:0

Sonic fans: boy this game is crap. 

Critics: Finally! A good Sonic game! 

Sega: Welp I guess we'll make every game like this from now on. 

:0

Final Ranking: E 

HORRIBLE. I like that they tired to focus on the "brother" relation ship of Sonic and Tails, but it did not pay off. Maybe I'm being harsh, maybe it's more of  a D-, but it's hard to ignore it's "legacy." It's easily one of the worst Sonic games of all time, and that makes it in the E category. 

Sonic Colors DS

The wisps are still a pain to control, but staying in 2-D...as a whole it's a lot better game to play. It includes some higher-quality cutscenes than the DS standard but much of the plot is the same. Limited, the voice acting is not as irritating, save for a few repetitive lines (I should never have made fun of Jason Griffith's "yo"). The music is not of the same quality, but I like it because it does not seem as over-the-top. There are improvements like the added characters and the addition of Mother Wisp that help, and the gimmicks (such as the balloon) seem more creative.

Final Ranking C

While the console version is in many ways a rip-off of Sonic Unleashed, this game is a total rip of the Sonic Rush series. If it were a Rush game, with an original story and Blaze as an alternate character, I'd be more forgiving. Still, it's a lot better than the console version.  

Sonic 06 vs Colors (Part 10)

Welcome to the final--and perhaps biggest--reason the hated game Sonic 06 is superior to the praised Sonic Colors.

Part 10: The Plot

Just at a glance, Sonic 06 has a very complex story. Is it confusing/flawed? Yeah. But it also has a lot of depth and exciting moments (believe it or not). Sonic Colors is the complete opposite. It's very simple. So simple it's shallow and worthless. And it has plenty of errors, too.

Sonic 06

Sonic's Story

Despite being the name of the game, Sonic ended up lamely rescuing a princess over and over again. In the first cutscene, it actually seemed like there was a lot of potential. Unfortunately, in the next Elise is taken and so begins the cycle.

Still, the ending with Sonic and Elise escaping Eggman feels like a good victory, and the cutscene looks cool. The laughing is either creepy or cute, but at least it balances the end and beginning (the "smile" thing).

Silver's Story

Silver's story is interesting. Many sci-fi elements and typical Sonic themes like friendship. I wish there was more of an explanation for Blaze's appearance, and the set-up annoyingly avoids a confrontation with Sonic. It's clear there was meant to be more with Amy, too.

There are a few other bothersome parts. Like, ok--Silver's naive--but would he really trust the creepy dude with no mouth after just meeting him? Overall Silver's side of things is all right, but it's still not the best it could be.

Shadow's Story

Shadow's story is almost perfect. It shows how Shadow has changed after Shadow the Hedgehog, it gives attention to Rouge and Omega, and it has a creepy villain.

Any problems are small continuity errors. Mostly dealing with Mephiles' time travel or powers.

Last Story

The Last Story is mostly trash. The only exception is going super and taking out Solaris. The "death" and the "kiss" were both awkward, crappy scenes. At least they tried to act serious. Unfortunately when people say the worst moment in Sonic history, it's thanks to this. It's a shame, because with a little rewriting it might have been salvageable.

There is some sad beauty in undoing the entire thing, but it also makes everything that happened worthless. Up for debate!

Sonic Colors

Beginning

They drag this out, but: Sonic and Tails are here to save aliens from Eggman! Ugh. I like the Black Arms--I liked the Cosmo and the Meterex--but these guys don't do it. It can't be a character and a power up. How am I supposed to care for that? Wisps aside, annoyingly revised Orbot and *new* Cubot act like a poor villain's Scratch and Grounder. Their attempts at humor suck. I almost wish there was a "rated E-10 for everyone below ten."

Every cutscene has a joke, but none of it's funny.

Middle

The middle quickly turns repetitive. Sonic cracks a shXt joke, fights a robot. The same robots, even. Somewhere in here Eggman tries to mind-control Tails. Pretty cheap. But what makes it worse is that it fails within 2 seconds. No Sonic vs Tails here.

End

One good part of the plot is trying to focus on Sonic and Tails' friendship. In some ways it's there, but for the most part Sonic acts lifeless to his almost-brother while Tails treats Sonic like an idiot as he's trying to save the world. 

There is a nice moment before the boss fight that tries to make the tone more serious. Next, Colors breaks the modern tradition of a ending Super Sonic fight (although there is one on the DS). In the final cutscene Sonic is cheesily saved by the wisps. He also says goodbye to his new friend Yacker, a shXt Chip replacement that hangs out with Tails more than Sonic. Oh, and Tails finally go his hopeless translator working, too. That's. Just. Stupid.   

 Conclusion

I never really understand why people like Sonic Colors. Maybe if your a big Tails fan (since he had a bigger role)? I think coating the story in light, silly humor was a mistake. Most of the story makes me want to cringe. It's sad.

06 had it's flaws, but it is also one of the more interesting stories overall. It had more serious stakes yet it balanced a large cast. Elements like flashbacks and timetravel gave it layers, too. Had the gameplay been perfected--even with the Elise as a main character--Sonic 06 might have been praised instead of hated.

The bottom line is that Colors had a very bad plot. 06's plot is fairly good.
Just I don't get it. How can one like that over 06?

This is actually my last major point, here. Wow, 10 big reasons 06 is better. It just is!
I'll be posting a reflection of the whole thing soon...

Sonic Forces Review

Still considered one of the newest Sonic games, SONIC FORCES. The total rank  is gonna' be at the end if you prefer to skip all reasoning :P

Summary

I enjoyed Sonic Forces and was rather surprised by the general backlash. But I can defiantly understand. Heh, maybe the key to liking a game is low expectations (I thought this game would be crap but liked it, everyone else thought it would be SA3 and hated it, haha).

Gameplay

• Sonic
• Sonic's style mimicks the same "Boost to Win" formula it's been using for a while now. 
• Although this was "playing it safe," the style is becoming very repetitive and hasn't been cool since Unleashed (and remember, it debuted in Rush, making it over 10 years old).
• Meh. 
• Avatar 
• The Avatar is a nice blend of Sonic's speed and unique gimmicks such as the wispons or the species-exclusive skills like the double-jump.
• Good except for the occasional mishap (usually missing a target-lock, etc). 
• Avatar-Sonic (etc)
• Double boost was cool. 
• Like the idea of "tag"ing between characters. Like Heroes but less complicated. 
• Classic Sonic 
• Very close to Generations but the buttons are different, which can either be good (for a long time classic fan) or bad (for the poor soul who got used to the square button in Generations)
• Pretty boring, nothing seems new. 
• Shadow
• Unfortunatly it's pretty much a clone of Sonic's style. No Chaos Spears or Guns. Not even a "Wispon."
• On the other hand, this is the first time Shadow has a Boost like Sonic and is playable.  

Characters 

• Sonic
• Although it was nice to see Sonic in a darker plot, he's the same jerk he's been since Sonic Colors. Crappy jokes, brushing things off as nothing...
• However it was nice to see him bond with the Avatar and the ending was...yeah, nice. 
• Avatar
• Surprisingly good for a mostly mute character. Shows character development yet leaves details open for the player's imagination. 
• Fun to customize, very creative and a nice nod to the fans. 
• Don't like that in order to change the species, the story had to be completed. But that didn't take long, so... 
• Classic Sonic
• Why is he here? Ratings boost, much?
• Classic honestly probably hurt the story more than helped it, the little attention hog. 
• Despite this, the tie-in with Forces was a neat idea and his role in the end was also a nice goodbye. 
• Tails
• WTF?
• Seriously. 
• WTF?
• Sonic gets his butt kicked and Tails just sits there. I could buy him "being in shock" if they showed more--I don't know--emotion? It's just...he hangs out with Classic for the entire game and pretty much ignores the "Real" Sonic. That ain't right.  
• Knuckles
• In the mean time Knuckles apparently became this great "leader," but we don't see too much of that. In fact...didn't his plan suck? 
• Amy
• You'd expect Amy, if anyone, to go crazy over Sonic being saved. But she just brushes it off with a rude remark. Think all that rejection's starting to wear the girl down. 
• Silver
• Okay, why is he here? WHY SILVER AND NOT BLAZE????
• Seriously. He's from the future. They don't talk about it. We have to look at the comics for an explanation. What does that tell you? 
• Then he has about one "shinning moment"...and he gets beat up by Infinite. Is he only here for the Worf Effect, or...
• Chaotix (Vector, Espio, Charmy)
• They are just there. They don't do much. No mystery solvin'. 
• Shadow
• It was great to see Shadow have a role, and to be playable. 
• However many people were upset there wasn't a rival fight, even with the replica. I get that, but honestly I did like the cutscene where he finally shows up.
• Also, is he still workn' for GUN now, or...
• Rouge
• Same about GUN.
• I'm a little confused on why she didn't just tell Sonic and the others that Shadow was still on their side. 
• Omega
• Being shut down was a clever call back to 06, and I like when he shows up in the end, but otherwise he's useless. 
• Eggman
• As interesting as it is to see Eggman take the stage as main villain, it feels more like Infinite is. 
• Orbot & Cubot
• ...they were in this game? I remember...nothing?
• Lame. Bring back Scratch and Grounder. 
• Infinite
• Ah, Infinite. Perhaps the most over-hyped character yet. 
• Extremely disappointing. Easy boss fights, lame motivations and background...very weak. WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAKKKKKKKKK
• I was never a huge fan of his design, but it does have a sense of mystery that was unfortunately only WEAKness.  
• Not a good rival, a weak villain. 
• He runs away. That weak little coward...
• Replicas
• Lame. Very Lame. Could have been used in an interesting way, but they were mostly for show. 
• Etc
• Talking to the other "resistance" members was kind of cool, but it got annoying after awhile. 

Plot/Cutscenses/Voice Acting

Voice Work:

• It's no secret I hate most of the current voice actors, but I was impressed this time. Working on Sonic Boom must have really helped some of them. Good improvement.
• Oh! and Infinite sounds kind of like Mephlies--interesting. 

General:

• The cutscenes are animated fairly well. Expressive. 
• Visually, though, not perfect. Not in this day and age, but good compared with older games. 
• Have to enjoy seeing the avatar in the cutscenes--pretty cool. 
• The absence of humans (aside from Eggman) is confusing. Even if there was a simple explanation or a small refrenece to GUN, it would have helped. 
• Plot could have been very serious, but was rather bland instead. 

Sonic's Role:

• Sonic's story starts out disappointing. Was he "tortured," or was he just sitting in a cell for 6 months? He sure acts the latter. 
• It's nice to see him encourage the avatar. And defeat Infinite. And Eggman. So it ends a bit better than it starts. 

Avatar's Role:

• Interesting concept, nice little plot about friendship, getting past fears, and learning from others. 

Classic's Role:

• The only thing I like is the tie-in with Mania. It's like a crossover...sorta. But does mute-Sonic use sign language and warn Tails about this "Phantom Ruby?" Hehe, nope.  

Episode Shadow:

• This plot was disappointing. Not on Team Dark's end, but with Infinite's backstory. It's very weak. 
• And it was too short. 

Music

• The music was impressive on several accounts. 
• The vocal themes were not only good, but it was the first time in a long time that the main theme wasn't instrumental.
• Fist Bump was great, although I was kind of expecting Crush 40 for the 25th anniversary. Maybe they should have put in a "Sonic Youth" Easter Egg somewhere.  
• The Avatar's levels having both male/female tracks supported the flexibility of the character (because it could have been a girl or boy).
• The Stardust Speedway Remix was not only a good reference, but a serious break for those of us who prefer the US music from Sonic CD. 
• WHY, Mania, did you torture us with the JPN Stardust Speedway. UUUUGH!
• The remixes in Shadow's episode were awesome (including remixes from SA2 and Shadow's own game).  
• I'd say the one con is that all have a modern ring to them. It's fine, but a mix of styles would have been cool. 
• Also, it was a little weird for Chemical Plant and Green Hill to have different music than their traditional ones. 

Graphics/Design

• Graphics are pretty good, for a Sonic game. Sonic Generations probably looks just as good, though, and that game is from 2011.
• Most if the designs were awesome. The city and bridge area, such as Park Avenue, was perhaps the best. 
• However, bringing back Green Hill, even as "Sand Hill," was redundant. Same for Chemical Plant. The Death Egg? Fine. But they could have at least used zones that don't get as much attention, like Springyard, Starlight, Aquatic Ruin, Mystic Cave... 

Final Thoughts

• I think Infinite's background could have been tweaked...ha-ha, tWEAKed. Anyways, they could have at least given a bit more in the "digital comic" about why it he would take so much offense at the term "weak."
• The game's plot ("resistance") was a nice nod to the old Sonic media (SatAm, Underground, the comics). It's be cool to see more of this make-shift team-up. 
• I really hope the excuse for lack of humans isn't "it's a separate planet." That makes no sense. I'm just assuming South/Westside Island have a high "mobian" population and that the human populations aren't really seen because they're on the other side of the map.
• Levels seemed...too easy? 
• It was good to see a plot that:
• wasn't 100% Sonic
• was a bit more "serious"  

Game Ranking (E is lowest, S is highest): B

This game isn't bad. But it also fails to take advantage of "what could have been." It's average.

"The Super Sonic Search and Smash Squad!"-Who's best side villain?

In each cartoon, have been side-villains working directly under Robotnik/Eggman. This is a trend that has drifted in to the game series.
In this post, I'll be ranking them from best to worst. Post in the comments your reaction/opinion.

So, who do I think's best?

1. Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog-Scratch, Grounder, Coconuts

 These guys where the original. and they were actually funny. Scratch and Grounder had an almost sibling rivalry with one another, and Coconuts was desperate to get off sewer duty (keep in  mind that this is Robotnik he's working for-I wound's want that job, either). They were based off robots in Sonic 2, and were essential to the show.

2. Sonic Underground-Sleet, Dingo

Ok, I'm going to be honest, here, compared to Scratch and Grounder, these guys were not only ugly, but cheap. Why Robotnik had to hire bounty hunters instead of getting robots to hunt down Sonic is beyond me-maybe he was just lazy. Still, the two had their moments (Sonia freaking out because she "took Dingo to dinner?!!!"). Sleet was less likeable, and always planning to take things into his own hands (um, literally), while Dingo was an unintelligent shape shifter who always got stuck doing the dirty work. Dingo has a crush on Sonia-weird but humorous ("I was so sorry when you died").

3. Sonic X-Decoe, Bocoe, Bokkun

Obviously inspired from Adventures, these have similar roles, despite clearly different looks. Decoe and Bocoe were #s 2 and 3, always right behind Eggman. Bokunn was the messenger-the armed messenger. The TVs he had to display the messages would explode! Bokunn was the most interesting, he was funny and added a child-like tone to the group (not that Eggman wasn't childish enough for them). As for the other two...I don't even know which is which. They had good supporting roles, but didn't really stand out. At all.

4. Sonic the Hedgehog-Snivley, Cluck

Snivley is the main one, here, being bullied by his uncle, doing everything he says, but secretly hating him. He added to the darker tone. Cluck didn't really talk and just seemed to please Robotnik (somehow). Cluck was pretty pointless, not super interesting. As for Sinvley, he was on the annoying side, and who could actually take that guy seriously as a villain. Still, a fair representation of that guy who pretends his job is everything and honestly hates it.

5.  Sonic Boom-Orbot, Cubot

One word: boring. These two try two be amusing but...do they try too had? I don't know what it is, but they don't seem to serve any real purpose. At least, thanks to their designs, I can tell them apart. Orbot is more logic and understanding, while Cubot just throws out what he's thinking.
Note: This is just Sonic Boom Orbot and Cubot-this not based their main game appearances.

Well, there you have it. Is this biased? Completely. I grew up with one through three, and I don't care for Orbot & Cubot in game, either (expect Orbot in Sonic Unleashed). Hey, at least I admit it. But I truly do think that this is the order in which they be long; these characters were designed as comic relief, and it takes a lot to top Adventures when it comes to that category.

This "trend" of  sick kicks is important to Sonic's world. It is a form of humor, and a form of pity. Most of these characters starred in Archie comics (although usually drastically different), and some of them were in video games, even if in small roles (Mean Bean, anyone?). The current stars are Orbot and Cubot, and even if they are on the bottom of my list, it's a relief to see that type of character alive and well.     

If I get to a post on the in game appearances of Orbot and Cubot (not to mention Min, Mum, and other villainous side characters), I will add it to this post.