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.  

Sonicomics: "Sonic Colors"

"Did you know--" EW! Sonic Colors!

Right away I can see that this art is better. Both Yardley's pencils and the colors from Matt Herms. Away from the Wii's stunning graphics, the wisps actually look kind of cute.

Like in the game, Orbot and Cubot are annoying, but Sonic and Tails aren't nearly. The dialogue is better...or is it the lack of Roger Crap Smith? With the added expressions, the once lame translator joke seems...funny.

This is much easier to read as a comic than to hear as a video game.

Score (E is worst, S is best): B

The art is nice and so is the dialogue. It goes over the first few cutscenes without completely copying. I heard once that Flynn's favorite game is Colors (something that made me seriously doubt that guy's role as writer), but it shows, here. It feels a lot cleaner than the other adaptations.

Sonic 06 is better than Colors (Part 9)

Sonic 06 is generally regarded at "the worst Sonic game." Meanwhile Colors is supposedly "one of the best." Well I hated Colors and liked 06 just fine. And I have reasons for it, too.

Part 9: The Voice Acting

Where to start? Ugh, I guess I'll explain a little background on each of these groups beforehand.

Background History (fill free to skip this)

1. So the "4kids" actors that are present in 06 originally started out on the show, Sonic X. There were some "shady" dealings were the 4kids actors replaced the "originals" (sometimes called the "transitional") because Sega "wanted Sonic to sound the same" (all this was on Sega's behalf, though, not the actors themselves). 
2. So even though this group had been voicing the characters for about 2-3 years (Sonic X) a lot of people were still attached to the "originals" and regarded this new group with hostility. 
3. The 4kids actors had all improved their voice work since starting in "Chaos Control Freaks," but it wouldn't be until around the time of Sonic Unleashed that they gained real respect. Fans finally warmed up to the cast and praised their work. 
4. And by the time of Sonic Colors, Sega...REPLACED THEM ALL. Except Eggman. There were rumors about this, too, but mainly it just seemed like Sega was trying to gather a more "recognizable" cast (Roger Craig Smith, for example). Although some welcomed the change, many fans were now angry the 4kids had been replaced as they had finally "gotten good." 
5. This "current" cast would last for along time. At this point, however, most have been switched out with notable exceptions being the voices of Sonic, Eggman, Amy, and Shadow. 

General Opinion (Just sayin')

I usually favor the 4kids voice actors because I think most of them matched their characters perfectly. I have to admit the old cast was finally getting good around Heroes (just before they were replaced), but generally they seem overrated. On the other hand, I dislike almost everyone who started in 2010. I especially despite Smith's work. By the time of Forces I think most of them have gotten better, though.
So this won't all be relevant, as Colors has a small cast and it was their first game, but I just wanted to acknowledge it I guess.

Back to 06 vs Colors

Voices vs Voices

It sound be noted that I'm going off their roles in these games specifically.

06 Sonic vs Colors Sonic (Jason Griffith vs Roger Craig Smith)

"It sounds like [getting captured every five seconds] isn't that easy..."

Jason Griffith doesn't deliver the clarity we get in Unleashed or SATBK, but he does a decent job.

• Some lines that stand out as pretty good: "My, that's a pretty snazzy performance, there"; "I'm Sonic, Sonic the Hedgehog"; "That was Incredible"; and "Alright, lets have some fun Solaris."

These lines show enthusiasm and Sonic's attitude. There are some lines are flat (like "Smile" and "No Problem") but Griffith stays in character. No major shifts or sounding like other characters (that he was voicing).

"Baldy nosehair? That's the [worst] thing I heard all day!" 

Roger Craig Smith's take on Sonic is horrible. In Colors, it makes me cringe. I know this is also largely reliant on script--I find it hard to imagine the other voice actors handling it well, either--but it just isn't right. Sonic sounds like a egotistic jerk!

• A one or two lines turn out well--sarcastic ones like "Oh, I gave it to him pretty good" and "Just say your going to destroy us and stop embarrassing yourself." 
• Any serious moments end up with the opposite effect. Pathetic: "Tails, buddy, you alright?" I don't feel like he's concerned for his friend at all! 
• Other lines are plain crap, such as "It says somebody ordered an extra large clobbering topped with everything!" Ugh he ends up saying the word clobbering three times and it seems to get worse each attempt. 
• Smith also pronounces words oddly (I'm assuming on purpose) such as "negative" like "nAgative"  and "Eggman" like "Aggman." 
• I guess that means he'd call Eggman Nega "Aggman nAga" ha 

To make matters worse, when "going back" to this after getting used to Roger Craig Smith's "better"  Sonic-voice, (maybe an Episode of Sonic Boom) you can tell in Colors he tried to make his voice...less mature? Likely to match his predecessors. If that was his goal, it failed terribly.

Sound Effects: I'm not a huge fan of the dying "W-Whao!" in 06 but the "Bwuah!" noise that Sonic makes when he falls in Colors is the worst sound Sonic has ever made. Also, as neither actor was at the top of their game here, Sonic's laugh is creepy. In Colors this happens a few times. As for Griffith, I know he usually does a good "Sonic laugh" but that ending scene with Elise...

Tails (Amy Palant vs Kate Higgins)

Amy Palant does a cute Tails. For whatever reason, she seems to make Tails have an even younger/higher voice than in Riders or Sonic X. She does a better job than the previous two voice actors, but the sound effects for Tails in this game are very annoying. The entire game, Tails' voice is either adorable or annoying. Usually the latter. He's 8, not 5...

I hate to admit it, but Kate Higgins probably did a better job (comparing these games specifically). Tails sounds young and cute but boyish, too. Higgins handles the humor well "Uh, I find that hard to believe..."; "[Eggman's] cruelty knows no bounds."; etc. She doesn't make Tails sound as smart as Plant, but 06 didn't show that side of him much.   

Eggman (Mike Pollock vs himself)

Despite the 4 year difference, Pollock sounds mostly the same. 06 is a bit more serious, Colors a bit more comical. Voice acting alone--it's a draw.

Other Main Characters

06

• Jason Griffith did a fantastic job as Shadow. There are quotes that turn out great from this game: "I determine my own destiny"; "Ha! There's no strength in numbers"; "I will fight like I always have"; even "Don't touch it" and "Let's get MOVING." 
• Although his "It's No Use" and "Not Now" could get irritating, Silver sounded youthful and confident. 
• Mephlies had creepy, heavy voice that fit him perfectly. 
• Sega seemed pretty proud of Lacy Chabert ("Elise") at the time. They considered her a "celebrity" voice actor. She does a good job in the cutscences but the sound effects (in the levels where Sonic carries Elise) are higher pitched and annoying. 

Colors

• Orbot (voice wise--his actions were kinda' sassy) was a slap in the face compared to the robot we saw in Unleashed. I'm not sure what accent that is, but I don't like. 
• We got to hear different takes on Cubot's voice, but they were all stupid. The worst part is his "real" voice is worse than the other ones. It's scratchy and...you know, now that I think about it, neither of those two sound very robotic.     

Supporting and Background roles.

06

• I think the 4kids cast did a good job matching their (Rouge, Blaze, Amy, etc) personalities overall. 
• The only one I really dislike is Omega's (Omega's robotic voice was usually low, not high). 
• There were some human voice-bits, such as "hey" in the hub worlds and crowds in cutscenes--not too bothersome. 

Colors

• The Colors equivalent is Yacker and the other wisps. Kinda' annoying but not too bad, really. 
• What really sucks is the "DRILL" "ROCKET" and all the other worthless wisp announcements. What is the point of that? What could possibly be good about that?! It's unnecessary, extremely loud, repetitive, annoying, and did I say REPETITIVE I MEANT TORTURE. 
• But what's worse? "GAME OVER." What the Fxck?! Having "ha-ha you lost" written over the screen with sad music is bad enough. But having that same awful voice say in an almost happy, drawn out: "gAme OVer" just makes me want to kill my Wii. And thanks to Generations, I found out this voice is none other than good ol' Roger Craig Smith. 

RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGH 

Random Thoughts

• Sonic Colors was the "current" cast's first game, so it explains why they weren't as good. Eggman, however, stayed the same. 
• Notably, Tails' voice was later replaced for Sonic Boom.
• As for 06, this was their 4th game, but their first "main" one. I have to wonder if they had certain instructions on "how to sound" because a lot of them tweaked their voice slightly and sounded different before/past this game.

Conclusion

• Roger Craig Smith sucks. Especially in 2010-11, yikes. How could anyone praise that "performance?" Seriously, someone explain why they think he's good. To me he always sounds bored instead of carefree, cringe-y instead of funny, and a jerk instead of a hero. Griffith does a better Sonic. 
• Ignoring the fact that 06 has a larger cast (making it harder to compete with), I'd have to say 28% of Colors is good/acceptable (2/7) and 83% of 06 is good/acceptable (10/12). So clearly, the voice acting in 2006 was simply better than it was in 2010. It wasn't the best, but it's better than Colors.  
• As mentioned, Higgins and Pollock did an alright job--but it just doesn't outweigh the good that came out of 06.
• lol you don't hear that often, do you?  
• ...And if I were judging Free Riders (first game to feature the rest of the "2010" cast), the 4kids cast would blow them away for sure. 

Join us next time for the last major reason that Sonic 06 is better than Colors!

Sonic 06 is Better than Colors (Part 7)

I've started a series of blog posts to prove my point: that the most hated game--Sonic 06--is better that one of the most over-praised Sonic titles ever released--Sonic Colors.

Last time we touched on this issue a bit (with the characters of the game) but we'll be going beyond that for...

Part 7: The Conflict: bosses, villains, risks, threats...

First, let's divide this up a bit. 

1. Bosses
2. Main Villains
3. Risks to the World (universe, future, etc)
4. Threats to the Characters

Bosses

So Color's had better robot designs, honestly. Somewhat annoying, the Eggpawns were memorable. The...things in 06 were more serious but ended up rather lame and annoying themselves. But what really counts is the actual boss fights. 

06 had a couple rival battles, which are always fun. Silver's "it's no use" is infamous for it's flaws, but that fight is actually very easy. Most Sonic-fights are after a pattern is discovered--that's standard.

Iblis parts 1 and 3 were intresting. Part 2 was kind of time consuming and disappointing (it has to be done as Sonic and Shadow), but not bad. Mephiles had awesome fights, though with Omega it slows down a bit. Eggman's could be challenging, or a breeze. In all though, they were all exciting to play out. The setting, dynamic designs, and variety per character made me want to shoot for an S-rank. 

Although Colors had a variety as well, they were all the same in the end: frustrating robots. They weren't any fun, and it was hard to remember which wisp-gimmick to use to help. They aren't memorable, and are very lame when compared to bosses in other games. Really only the last battle with Eggman is worth playing.    

Main Villains

Yes, Eggman in Colors was probably better than his creepy 06 version, but what about Orbot and Cubot? They sucked and were an insult to any long-time Scratch&Grounder fan.

Iblis is neat in concept but he's not nearly as cool as Chaos. Solaris is confusing and a waste. But 06 also supplied us with one of the best villains in Sonic history--Mephiles. And I'd argue that his appearance outweighs Eggman's in Colors (which is alright but hard to take serious). 

Mephiles is skin-crawling creepy, especially for a Sonic game. He's the cause of most of the conflict in the game, and only "craves destruction." He fools Silver, taunts Shadow, and kills Sonic. Back up, did I just write that? It's still hard to accept that's what happened. I don't really consider it since they revive Sonic with the magic powers of chaos energy and  looooove, but still. Eggman's always trying to do what Mephiles did in 5 seconds! 

Many find Mephiles' motives confusing. Why not unite with Iblis right-way (since he can time-travel)? Why send Silver to kill Sonic when he could do so himself? So on. But it's clear that he enjoys the suffering of others, and most fan-explanations end the same: Mephiles did what he wanted to.

Continuity thoughts aside, Mephiles' plays his main role well. He manipulates Silver and Blaze and torments Team Dark with knowledge of the future all while keeping in control. 

So Colors vs 06? Colors is creamed. How can anyone take Eggman seriously with those two dumb-bots (or that dumb plot)?

Risks to the World (universe, future, etc)

In Colors, an entire race of beings were at stake. Unfortunately, I hate wisps. They were annoying and did nothing to make me like them. ScrXw Yacker, why should I care? 

06 starts out with concepts that continue to grow. Soleanna is at stake. The future is at stake. TIME-SPACE is at stake. So maybe Generations would have a chance, but no, not Colors.  

The past/present'future>crappy aliens 

Threats to Characters

So in each game there was a physical threat to the characters involved, but that's standard. Sonic 06 gave more purpose to those involved through personal conflicts.  

In 06, Silver had his moral questions--was killing someone to save the world the right thing to? Likewise there was more to Shadow's story. Mephiles tried to convince Shadow to turn against humanity, then caused tension for the team when he revealed not only Shadow's fate but a bit of Omega's. For Sonic's episode, conflict was mainly for Elise, who tried to balance her feeeeelings for Sonic (and a life of adventure) with her duty (and life in Soleanna). 

Colors' kept the conflict straight forward which also dumbed it down. In contrast, 06 had layers for the different characters and storylines, making the threats all the more serious.  

Conclusion

So overall the "conflict" in Colors is not serious. It does nothing to make one feel for the characters or conflicts involved. 06 was far from perfect, but it had a villain that was powerful and manipulative, it had high stakes, memorable bosses, and it added to the story instead of diluting it.  

Sonic 06 is Better than Colors (Part 4)

I started a list of reasons Sonic 06 is better than Colors. Surprisingly, this ended up being rather lengthy. So, I decided to make this a mini-series of sorts.

Part 4 The Level Ups/Power Ups/Upgrades

In 06, like most main-Sonic games, there are mandatory level ups like light dash. There are optional, extra abilities that can be purchased with rings toward the end of the game.

Sonic (Gems)
RED--Slows time down
BLUE--Boost ("mach" speed)
GREEN--Wind/tornado attack
WHITE--homing smash
YELLOW--Thunder guard/shield
SKY--Gun drive/throw gem
PURPLE--Scaled down/tiny Sonic

Shadow (Memory Shards)
RED--Chaos Blast chaos spear upgraded
BLACK--Chaos Blast upgraded attack

The gems are really cool because they make tings easier and can be used forever. What's especially great about them (sky specifically) is that it makes it easier for Sonic to glitch past areas and finish the level faster. It was probably unintended but it's a great asset.

Shadow's upgrades (with their given descriptions) are misleading. However all they do is add to the already-fairly-awesome-but-could-have-been-awesomer Chaos Blast.

In all, the level ups benefit the gameplay, and while some are kind of suckie (Blue gem), most are very useful.

Onto Sonic Colors, and the levels-ups are temporary--like getting invincibility shortly. But in this case, the Wisps double as both a plot device and a level-up, helping Sonic take different forms. Sounds cool, right? It's not.

Sonic (Wisps)
WHITE--Boost
CYAN--Laser
YELLOW--Drill
GREEN--Hover
BLUE--Cube
PURPLE--Frenzy
VIOLET--Void
RED--Burst
PINK--Spikes

Really, I find the "wisp" gimmick more of a nuisance than a help. It slows the gameplay down, and there are plenty of parts when you have to use them.

Having them fuel the boost is very annoying, and I prefer the other methods of fueling it like rings (Unleashed) or the trick system (Rush). 

Using the wisps means the player has to be very precise (like aiming the rocket or laser) and they usually backfire. The drill, rocket, and cube suck. Hover, laser, frenzy, and burst can be hard to control.

Every single level is ruined by these annoying f@!*king wisps and the annoying b*stard that keeps narrating "HOVER!" "LASER!" "ROCKET!" uuuuugh. And that's the same awful voice as whoever says "Game Over?" Who is that?

[lets see, the only credits include Roger Craig Smith, Kate Higgins, Mike Pollock, Kirk Thornton, or Wally Wingert...I assume it's not Kate Higgins because she's a girl--even if she is voicing Tails--I wouldn't expect it to be Thorton because I think I'd recognize "old-man-shadow" voice (but than again he voiced Orbot and I didn't remember that one)...it'd be easy to pin on Roger "Crap" Smith 'cause I hate his Sonic-voice but I don't remember...You know what, I have no idea. For all I know it's a computer. I'd have to look up the voice, listen to it, and try to figure it out--but I HATE THAT VOICE so I'm not gonna' do that...whoever you are, you're in my "worst voices" list along with Smith and the new guy who voices Jet!]
EDIT: It is Smith (confirmed from Sonic Generations).

Anyway, the wisps are very annoying an disrupt the gameplay instead of add to it. What really ticks me off is that since idiots labeled this "good," Sega assumed their fans were on their knees begging for more wisps and now they're in every frickn' game. I hate them, and they keep coming back. The only game even tried to fix them was Forces, which for the most part turned them into guns (because Sega's too afraid to bring guns back). "Wispons."

Yet they still fuel the frickn' boost. ARGH.

So while 06 had some cool--pretty much unfinished/broken, but cool--additions, Colors created slo-mo aliens nobody likes.