Sonic, I remember when you used to be cool, man!
There's no doubt that Sonic and disappointment go hand in hand these days. Ever since the blue, spiky hero went 3D the overall quality of his games went down, down, down. Despite the advanced technology of modern video game consoles he just didn't have the same edge he once did on the Mega Drive. However, the 2D GBA and DS games made a noble effort and were good in their own right.
Sixteen years after the release of Sonic 3 & Knuckles Sega and Team Sonic had FINALLY delivered...a big letdown. In all that time THIS is the best they could come up with? It's not even an original game, rather just a remake of four Sonic 2 levels. Yeah...you read that correct, FOUR levels plus Special stages and Death Egg ending. That's pathetic!
It wouldn't be so bad if these levels were enjoyable but they frequently suffer from bad design. It feels like they were hacked together by a bunch of amateurs. Why gives us a ten-second invincibility power-up where there are no enemies? Why are there no cut scenes? And why is Sonic soooooo slow???
I usually hate cut scenes, but if this is supposed to be a continuation of the Sonic 3 & Knuckles story then you could have fooled me. It has nothing to do with those games. No Knuckles. No Tails. No continuity between levels. No ending scene! No catchy theme tunes. How dare Sega release a game that just isn't finished.
I'm not sure how many 'Episodes' are left in Sega's revival of the original Sonic series, or when they will be released, but if it took them 16 years to produce this one I guess we're in for several more anti-climaxes and letdowns.
Graphics A Sound B Gameplay C- Lasting Appeal D
