Sonic Heroes (PS2, GCN, XBX) Retro Review

This marks the 35th anniversary of the Blue Blur himself, Sonic the Hedgehog. At SuperPhillip Central we're going to look back at all facets of the fastest hedgehog alive, both good and bad. We partook in the good with Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds earlier this month. Unexpectedly, and against memories from my youth, now we're going to be looking at the bad with Sonic Heroes. 

What goes up, must come down. And wow, does it come down hard!

Sonic Heroes originally released on the PlayStation 2, GameCube, and Xbox back in 2003. I remember being incredibly hyped after coming off of Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, greatly enjoying that GameCube release, and then feverishly pouring play after play of the first level of Sonic Heroes as part of a bonus demo disc released alongside some copies of Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. Then, the game came out, and I actually ended up enjoying it.

That said, my gaming habits and preferences have decidedly changed since 2003. For one, I was in high school then, and had so much more free time and patience in general. As an adult, I definitely have much less of both to dedicate to games that try said patience. Sonic Heroes is one of those games nowadays, and it's an unfortunate reminder that nostalgia can blind. What one might have considered a fantastic game back in the day, or one worth challenging themselves to overcome, nowadays is an effort of utter frustration. 

Sonic Heroes is a unique game in the 3D line of Sonic the Hedgehog games, as it features teams of characters running, jumping, and otherwise moving through the game's 14 stages. There are four trios in all: Team Sonic (Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles), Team Dark (Shadow, Rouge, and Omega), Team Rose (Amy, Cream, and Big), and Team Chaotix (Vector, Espio, and Charmy), the latter of whom returned after last being seen all the way back in Knuckles Chaotix on the SEGA 32X. 

While Team Sonic and Team Rose are like Seaside Hill Zone, great for beginners and getting their feet wet...

Each team has their own story set of stages to play through, though the stages have similar designs with some changes here and there across all campaigns. Whereas Team Rose features shortened stages and even a tutorial level at the beginning of their story, Team Dark is more focused for veterans of the game, containing longer, more difficult stages with more tricks and traps to watch for and persevere against. Meanwhile, Team Sonic is your "standard" difficulty, while Team Chaotix is a mishmash between Team Sonic and Team Dark. Team Chaotix's story stages all tend to have a specific mission to complete: whether that's finding 10 hermit crabs in the opening Seaside Hill Zone, or defeating three specific gold-shelled turtles in the Power Plant Zone.

...Team Dark and Team Chaotix's stories are better left for later playthroughs, as the levels can be long and unforgiving.

It's recommended to start with Team Rose or Team Sonic to get your speed sneakers wet and obtain a taste of what you're in for with Sonic Heroes. Playing each team's story means 14 zones with seven boss battles interspersed after every two zones for a total of 21 per team. Multiply that by four, and you get a general idea of what awaits. Unfortunately, each level strikes a resemblance to other teams' levels, so it can feel like a lot of retreading and repetition. You can't play the final story featuring all four teams without playing through and completing each teams' story mode. This took me about 12 hours to do all in total.

If the idea of three characters bantering back and forth for most of each level 
doesn't sound like hell to you, then Sonic Heroes might be worth checking out.

As for the overall story, each team has their own reasons and motivations for setting out for adventure. Whereas Team Sonic gets a letter from Eggman revealing a three-day plot to rule the world, Team Rose has each member wanting to track someone down: whether it's an amphibious friend suitably named Froggy for Big the Cat, a missing Chao for Cream the Rabbit, or simply Amy's fixation, Sonic and his love. Across each story campaign, the characters occasionally cross over, but seeing as boss battles are the same, just with different dialogue, it can be confusing to try to keep up with any kind of a cohesive, canon plot since some of the stories have conflicting, contradictory elements with others. Eh, it's a Sonic game, so I won't rack my brain over it.

"Froggy?" No, this one's unfortunately a little too large, Big...

When getting to the game itself, Sonic Heroes takes the formula and foundation of Sonic Adventure and its sequel and attempts to expand upon it. Innovative is the team-based mechanic, having players press one of the top face buttons to switch between the two other characters on the fly. Speaking of which, each of the characters in each trio conveniently enough has their own ability type. For instance, Sonic is speed-based, Tails is flying-based, and Knuckles is power-based. Thankfully, most of the guesswork is eliminated in needing knowledge for what character to use at a specific moment in a level, as helpful floating monitors with words like "Speed", "Fly" and "Power" readily indicate the best character type to utilize. 

Speed characters like Sonic, Shadow, Amy Rose, and Espio have the fastest running capabilities, can generally homing attack from enemy to enemy, and also sport the ability to create a tornado, used to remove shields and other defenses from foes, as well as spin up special poles. Meanwhile, Flight characters like Tails, Rouge, Cream, and Charmy understandably can fly, though for limited amounts of time before running out of stamina, dropping to the ground without any momentum left over whatsoever (which screwed me over plenty of times), and can also throw their teammates at other enemies from afar. Lastly, Power characters in the vein of Knuckles, Omega, Big, and Vector are great for busting through walls, blocks, and swarms of shielded enemies with relative ease. You can also hold the jump button to have the characters tag up with a Power character to ride up wind shafts and hover across gaps.

The bigger they are, the more throws it takes from Vector to beat 'em.

Throughout stages are colorful orbs, either in blue, yellow, or red quantities (for Speed, Fly, and Power characters respectively) that not only add to the player's score at the end of levels, but also boost that given character type's abilities. Throwing your teammates as Tails against foes generally just stuns the enemy, but getting two yellow orbs will level up Tails' throw to deal damage. Each enemy has a health gauge, showing a number beside it (its HP). Some foes, like more powerful baddies and also the godawful bosses, possess high HP, requiring you to whittle away at them. Usually best saved for a Power character. 

Finally, as rings--the livelihood of all teams, as if they get hit with at least one ring stored, they won't die--are collected and enemies are vanquished, a gauge for screen-clearing attack using all three teammates known as a Team Blast fills up and can eventually be used. For each team, this Team Blast shows a unique animation as well as a bonus. For Team Rose, an activated Team Blast will give the team invincibility for several seconds, while Team Dark's Team Blast will freeze everything on screen, including the timer, while Shadow, Rouge, and Omega can run around freely during all this. 

After seeing Team Blast animations like this one ad nauseum, I decidedly won't be checking out your record, Team Chaotix.

Levels in Sonic Heroes essentially follow the classic 2D Sonic games approach in design. And I don't just mean in the "two acts per themed locale then a boss battle" approach, either. No, these levels tend to feature plenty of alternate paths, with the higher paths being the most challenging to stay on, but also the fastest way to skip parts of stages entirely. Not every level is full of these, with Rail Canyon, for instance, having a more linear design with less in the way of detours--but something like the opening Seaside Hill and Ocean Palace possess a plethora of paths to take and uncover. 

...And here we go!

I feel the level design in Sonic Heroes is pretty commendable, honestly. There's lots of secrets, lots of hidden-away elements and pathways, and well thought-out concepts. Unfortunately, it's the actual gameplay that sort of betrays the competent level design. So many set pieces that are meant to be cool in both spectacle and fun, in theory, occasionally just don't play well in execution. Seemingly automated sections of stages more often than I'd care to have happen, resulted in my team jerking out of the path, falling into the abyss. Oh, and how each team seemingly LOVES to fall off levels. It's the number one way I died without question in Sonic Heroes. Between homing attacks that wouldn't register properly on enemies, the slippery feel of characters sliding off stages, and camera issues, deaths by pit was the number one way hedgehogs perished in 2003. ...I believe I remember seeing that statistic in National Geographic back in the day...

At any rate, the camera is a constant problem throughout the adventure, oftentimes resulting in less than ideal viewpoints. I felt like maybe one of the Eggrobos might have been controlling the camera as a means to mess my teams over, like a corrupted version of Lakitu in Super Mario 64. More of a hindrance than a help! 

This extends to the absolutely awful boss battles that infest the game. Here, the boss is public enemy number two, right behind the camera and other gameplay quirks of Sonic Heroes. The hit detection is off the charts in being bad, homing attacks, and just any attack that hones in on a foe usually goes after the wrong target, oftentimes ending in a premature and anger-inducing death. Plenty of times I got stun-locked where my characters were flat on their backs, given just enough invincibility frames to stand up, and then get attacked again. This occurs especially in the "Team Battles" where two teams from the story take on each other. These basically end up being battles of mashing the attack buttons to win. It's random, sure, but so is actually attempting to play them seriously and how they're how ever "meant" to be played. 

I'm having flashbacks of an unsettling variety just by glancing at this screenshot!

While it can be tempting at first to play Sonic Heroes as a score attack game, earning coveted "A" ranks from scoring high, beating levels with a fast timer completion, all without dying--it's simply not worth the aggravation. You're playing a Russian Roulette of "which glitch or gameplay quirk will potentially screw over your run" each time you play a level or boss battle in Sonic Heroes. Seeing as stages, especially with Team Dark, can take upwards of ten minutes just to beat, it's just not something I want to do nowadays. In 2003, I do remember getting all emblems from beating every level, clearing every post-game challenge (like clearing levels in a limited amount of time as Team Sonic, or collecting a set amount of rings as Team Rose), and obtaining every score-based "A" rank, and all I got for it to my incredibly diminished excitement was a super hard mode and some lame competitive multiplayer options. 

Each character type has a different formation the other team members get into.

Outside of glitches both technical and in gameplay, Sonic Heroes remains a relatively good looking game to this day. The zones definitely have that Sonic feel and look to them--colorful, vibrant, and it's something I definitely appreciate--something much more than Sonic Frontiers' drab and dreary approach to its art style (not to say Frontiers is objectively bad there or as a game). Meanwhile, the soundtrack is full of awesome rock tunes, and honestly, even with the cheese factor dialed up to 11 with some of the lyrical tracks, Sonic Heroes remains one of my favorite Sonic soundtracks even in 2026. The voice acting and cutscene direction are all over the place, offering lots of characters enjoying talking over each other or not giving each other enough pauses, and the audio balance is up and down as well. It was standard fare for Sonic games of that era, for sure. 

My fondness for Sonic the Hedgehog as a character and series remains to this day, despite replaying games like Sonic Heroes. Ideally, I would have started this celebration of Sonic's 35th anniversary on a higher note. Well, technically, I did with Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds earlier in the month! That said, the positives about Sonic Heroes--the level design, the colorful visuals, and superb soundtrack--greatly are betrayed by the game's poor controls, obnoxious mission design with Team Chaotix, abhorrent boss battles, awful camera, and glitches aplenty. Even despite all of these negatives, I did enjoy rolling around at the speed of sound, flying high, and throwing my weight around with this cast of 12 playable characters. Does that make Sonic Heroes an enjoyable game overall? Absolutely not. 

[SPC Says: D+] 

Sonic Origins (Multi) "Game Modes" Trailer

Gotta go fast with some Speed Strats of the upcoming 30th anniversary compilation title Sonic Origins courtesy of the Sonic the Hedgehog YouTube channel. Sonic Origins features Sonic the Hedgehog 1, 2, CD, and 3 & Knuckles in one stellar-looking collection. Play through the games individually or one after the other in a special story mode. Play the original mode or the special anniversary mode. Collect currency known as Coins to unlock new content within the museum and more. That's just the tip of the Ice Cap Zone iceberg as well, so check out the full video for all the details below! Sonic Origins speeds onto all major platforms on June 23rd.

Top Ten Sonic the Hedgehog Games

Today, June 23rd, 2021, is Sonic the Hedgehog's 30th anniversary. 30 years ago today in 1991 a blue hedgehog named Sonic took the gaming world by storm with a spin dash, a too-cool-for-school attitude, and a hankering for chili dogs. SPC celebrates the occasion with a special top ten list, presenting the site's picks for the very best of the Blue Blur's biggest and boldest titles. After you've checked out the picks here, which Sonic games would you select as your personal favorites? 

10) Sonic Unleashed (Multi)

The first but nowhere near the last 3D Sonic on our list of top Sonic the Hedgehog games, Sonic Unleashed brought with it an adventure around the world across themed areas based on real-life locales. Using the boost formula that future modern 3D Sonics would utilize, Unleashed also featured a beat-em-up component with some careful precision platforming thrown in via the Werehog. During nighttime stages, Sonic would transform into the burly beast, using his limbs to slash and strike enemies into submission. Whereas during the daytime hours, Sonic sped through levels, blazing a trail. A great speed-running game for the daytime levels, but pretty clunky and cumbersome during nighttime levels, Sonic Unleashed was essentially half a great game.

9) Sonic Rush (DS)

Sonic's debut on the Nintendo DS was a fantastic one, spanning both of the handheld system's screens. Levels sprawled on the dual screen setup, allowing for great verticality in levels, and offering a wider perspective on the action. The extra hardware power of the Nintendo DS gave players boss battles against Eggman's numerous mechanical monstrosities in 3D arenas, truly showing off the capabilities of the system. The introduction of Blaze the Cat was also welcomed, bringing a second adventure to enjoy with her incredible abilities and powers. And no Sonic Rush description would be complete without mentioning the stellar soundtrack composed by Hideki Naganuma of Jet Grind Radio fame, so let's not fail to mention his groovy songs that further heightened this highly capable Sonic game.

8) Sonic Adventure 2 (Multi)

I'm not going to lie here--a lot of my love for Sonic Adventure 2 is based off of nostalgia. It's also based off of the game still being rather good. I'll admit that Knuckles and Rouge's treasure-hunting segments are less than excellent, but they still show signs and semblances of entertainment. Tails and Eggman's shooter sections offer high amounts of action and platforming, while Sonic and Shadow's levels are indeed the pieces de resistance--the greatest part of this package. Sonic Adventure 2 was my first fully-fledged 3D Sonic--not counting games like Sonic 3D Blast that were quasi-3D--so it was a big deal for me. It's part of my adoration and fondness for Adventure 2, and why I hold it so dear to this day. Nostalgia's hard to shake sometimes!

7) Sonic the Hedgehog (GEN)

We couldn't go through a list of Sonic's greatest hits without visiting the game that started it all, now could we? Well, technically we could, but there's no reason to do so when 1991's Sonic the Hedgehog remains such a significant and stupendous game. It of course laid the foundation for Sonic, how he moves, how he handles, how he controls, and it's really amazing to consider all the masterful programming that went into making Sonic work in those loop de loops, blazing fast speeds ("blast processing" marketing speak notwithstanding), and slopes. What I really like most about the original Sonic is that the game gives plenty of moments for breathing. One zone opens itself up for fast speed-runs while the next requires more careful, cautious approaches. The pattern repeats to the very end of the game. 

6) Sonic Colors (Wii)

While PlayStation and Xbox platforms received the bigger entries in the Sonic franchise, "the little motion-control-centric system that could", the Wii, was pretty much given hand-me-downs and smaller Sonic experiences such as Sonic and the Secret Rings and Sonic and the Black Knight, both part of the Storybook Series of games. It wouldn't be until Sonic Colors that a tried and true major release in the Sonic series would spin dash onto the Wii. The wait for a major game was really worth it, as Sonic Colors remains one of my favorite 3D entries in the Sonic series, delivering a mix of stellar 3D and 2D sections and Wisp-based transformations. With Sonic Colors Ultimate heading to all major platforms this September, I eagerly await and anticipate being able to relive my experiences from the Wii days of blasting through Eggman's theme park as the Blue Blur.

5) Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (GEN)

After 1991's Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic sped onto the Genesis scene once again for a sequel, and it was everything fans wanted from a follow-up. It was bigger, bolder, and dare I say better than the original Sonic the Hedgehog. Double the length of Sonic 1, and offering more zones and variety, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 also added a second playable character, though one that would only be available via co-op and a second controller. This second character was Miles "Tails" Prower, or Tails for short, and would give beginning players (or little brothers like myself whose big brothers wouldn't let them play as Sonic) a chance to tag along with player one through the rather lengthy adventure. 

4) Sonic Generations (PS3, 360, PC)

Sonic's 20th anniversary ten years ago was punctuated by this game, giving players and longtime fans of Sonic something to celebrate over--a fantastic entry in the series. Sonic Generations brought with it two main styles of play: Classic Sonic (generally comprised of 2D levels) and Modern Sonic (generally comprised of--you guessed it--3D levels). Together, the two trekked and sped through familiar zones from pretty much every major past Sonic game, from Sonic 1 all the way to Sonic Colors, for nine zones with two acts total--one act for each version of Sonic. Save for a rather wet fart of a final boss, Sonic Generations was everything I wanted out of a 3D Sonic game, and it remains one of my favorites within the franchise.

3) Sonic & Knuckles (GEN)

As we approach the end of this 30th anniversary list dedicated to Sonic's best game, we'll be sticking strictly to 2D titles from here on out. We begin with Sonic & Knuckles. This game's cartridge used special lock-on technology to allow players to open its top and stick other Sonic games directly into it, such as Sonic 2 (to play the game entirely as Knuckles, for instance), and of course, Sonic 3 to create one extended adventure. But, we're not focused on the latter at the moment--or anything pertaining to the innovative lock-on technology presented to players. Instead, taken by itself, Sonic & Knuckles finally allowed players to assume control of Knuckles as a playable character, opening up levels considerably. Paths Sonic couldn't reach could be traveled to by Knuckles, and vice versa. The game had a solid collection of memorable zones, and one truly spectacular final confrontation with Dr. Robotnik.

2) Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (GEN)

Right from the get-go and the beginning of Sonic's adventure on Angel Island, you know you're in for something special as the character Knuckles the Echidna is introduced, the marimba synth of the first zone starts playing, and the beauty that is Sonic the Hedgehog 3's graphics and gameplay begin. Sonic 3 is a marked improvement over its predecessors--and those games were hardly pushovers--making for one marvelous platforming package of six zones of two acts apiece, accentuated by a stupendously catchy soundtrack. Sonic 3 may not have the length of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and it may have that annoying, rather unintuitive barrel in the Carnival Night Zone, but as a whole, it's a phenomenal game. However, it's not THE most phenomenal game in Sonic's 30-year history.

1) Sonic Mania (NSW, PS4, XB1, PC)

Perhaps this is blasphemy to say, but my favorite Sonic game is without question Sonic Mania. Now this is mostly because I'm not combining Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles into one game here, so if I did, this ranking could possibly change. However, as it is, Sonic Mania evoked such warm, happy feelings from this particular player. Between the masterful level designs, return to familiar zones made fresh with new level mechanics and concepts, as well as the four brand-new zones that each felt cohesive to the entire package, Sonic Mania delivered in pretty much all aspects all-around. From the music by Tee Lopes, to the art design, to the level design, to the boss encounters, to the myriad secrets and more, Sonic Mania rushed its way to the top of my list of favorite Sonic games when it launched a few years ago, and it remains at the top of the hedgehog game heap.

Sonic Colors: Ultimate (NSW, PS4, XB1, PC) Announce Trailer

While there wasn't too much that was overly exciting during Sonic the Hedgehog's 30th anniversary video showcase this morning, which just wrapped up, this announcement hyped me up considerably. After all, the original Sonic Colors isn't just one of my favorite 3D Sonic games, but also one of my favorite Wii games in general. I'm glad the game is no longer stuck to the system with Sonic Colors: Ultimate. Check out this premiere trailer for the game. Sonic Colors: Ultimate speeds onto Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox, and PC (though the game seems to be an Epic Games Store exclusive at the moment) on September 7, 2021.

Sonic 3D Blast (GEN, SAT, PC) Retro Review

As we approach Christmas, the holiday season, and the SuperPhillip Central Best of 2020 Awards (beginning this Sunday night), let's go back in time for a Super Sonic 3D Blast from the past! It's retro review time, and this time we're checking out Sonic 3D Blast! Here is the SPC review.

A 3D blast from the past

If you're versed at all, whether well or not, with gaming, you're probably aware of the nineties where then-console titan Sega was in a retail and marketing war with Nintendo. The two butted heads considerably throughout the decade. It's no wonder why the two publishers took inspiration from each other, and in many ways, gaming fans of that era were the real winners in the end. 

Following the massive success of the Super Nintendo and Rareware's pre-rendered 3D modeled platformer Donkey Kong Country, Sega, too, didn't want to be the left in the digital dust. They partnered with a British studio, Traveller's Tales, now most known for their mega-hit literal blockbuster LEGO games, to create a unique platformer starring their main mascot, Sonic the Hedgehog. That game would be known by the world as Sonic 3D Blast.

Sonic 3D Blast served as a slower paced platformer compared to past console entries, but by no means was that a foreign concept to the Blue Blur. On the Game Gear he starred in Sonic Labyrinth, which was as slow as it was dull (in my opinion, at least, but that's a review for another day). In fact, alongside Nintendo and Rare's Donkey Kong Country, Sega and Traveler's Tales were inspired by Sonic Labyrinth in the design of Sonic 3D Blast. 

Whereas Sonic Labyrinth was clunky and rather boring, Sonic 3D Blast brings with it a higher level of energy. Don't get me wrong--it's still a leisurely romp with a slow, methodical pace, but not to the point of tedium like Labyrinth was. Sonic 3D Blast, like Sonic Labyrinth, features an isometric camera and 3D worlds, though these are much more detailed and interesting than Labyrinth. 

Sonic's mission, if you choose to accept it: recover Flickies from defeated Badniks and deposit them in the goal ring.

The goal of most acts in Sonic 3D Blast is to defeat five enemies, which Dr. Robotnik has trapped colorful bird creatures known as Flickies inside. Beating the badniks results in freeing the Flicky stuck inside, and once grabbed by Sonic, thus circles around him. When Sonic takes damage or a Flicky is in range of a hazard, the Flickies surrounding Sonic scurry away, much like Sonic's rings when the hedgehog gets hit. Flickies will then bounce around near the location Sonic was damaged, and our prideful protagonist will need to recover them. This is easier said than done, as different Flicky types have different movement patterns. Some scurry about on the ground while others bounce back and forth. When you're damaged on a wide area of hazards, like a lava or spike pit, it's quite possible to pick up Flickies lost only to get hit again, thus causing the Flickies to run away once more. It's a cycle of annoyance that can quickly irritate.

Whoa! Watch out for those spikes, Sonic!

Regardless, after nabbing five Flickies, Sonic's objective is to find a floating horizontal gold ring upon which he can hang off of while depositing the Flickies inside. This either opens up a new portion of level or sees the act being completed. Acts generally have at least two segments where you need to recover and deposit five Flickies after defeating five enemies. To lessen the burden of losing Flickies upon taking damage, Sonic can deposit his newfound feathered friends early, and then go back to find the others still around the level, though this will result in a lesser Flicky point bonus at the end of the level. Still, I will take less points if that means less frustration from having to run around like a Flicky with its head cut off to recover both lost rings and lost Flickies from getting hit.

Just like the Paul Simon song, Sonic's slip-slidin' away.
(Yes, I'm old, so this musical reference might go over many of SPC's younger readers' heads.)

With its isometric view, Sonic 3D Blast can be a bit of a challenge to properly line up leaps on platforms (this is a big issue in zones like Rusty Ruin and Panic Puppet), as well as hits on foes. This is especially so with every Robotnik encounter during every zone's third act. These battles showcase how poor hit detection and how much of an enemy the camera perspective can truly become. With Dr. Robotnik, so many parts of his machinery can damage you, and the zone to attack him is seemingly so small. It results in a lot of rings lost, and perhaps lives, too, as you bang your head against the figurative wall to battle and beat his mechanical monstrosities and robotic creations. 

If there's one positive about Dr. Robotnik, it's that he is surely persistent!

As always, collecting rings is Sonic's lifeline and serves as his health bar. As long as he has one ring in his collection when taking damage, he'll be alright. Rings disappear quite quickly upon taking damage, as they bounce away and Sonic gets into a mad dash to collect them again. So it makes boss battles where there are limited quantities of rings available to Sonic all the more challenging, as previously mentioned, getting hit in these encounters is far too common and possible.

However, rings aren't only used for Sonic's health and wellbeing--they're also used to enter special stages to acquire Chaos Emeralds. Hidden and not-so-hidden in each playable act are Knuckles and Tails, and if you have at least 50 rings, you can enter the special stage. Depending on the version, you either run along a bridge, collecting rings while dodging mines (Sega Genesis), or in the more interesting and challenging special stage version on PC and Sega Saturn, you run along a halfpipe, avoiding mines while also collecting rings, Sonic 2-style. Upon collecting all seven Chaos Emeralds and beating the main game, you unlock the final level, a boss rush of sorts against Robotnik's most menacing mechanical creation. If you successfully complete that, you earn a level select, including all special stages to replay at your leisure.

Dodge spiked balls while nabbing rings to satisfy the ring thresholds of each special stage.

Sonic 3D Blast is rather good looking on the Genesis, which the screenshots of this review come from, but on the PC and Sega Saturn, it's of course even better. There's more detail in environments, there's unique animations and cutscenes, such as Knuckles or Tails personally delivering Sonic to each special stage location and dropping him in, and it's just overall a nicer presentation package. This goes into the music, too. While the Genesis version has remarkably catchy tunes, for me they're vastly outrivaled by Richard Jacques' marvelous compositions that deliver delightfully impressive themes. Upbeat when appropriate and epic and sensational when needed. 

Uh... you might want to move out of the way, Sonic.

If you're looking for a lengthy game, you won't find it with Sonic 3D Blast. It's a rather breezy adventure, clocking in at around 3-4 hours, if you're skilled enough and don't encounter too many annoyances from spotty hit detection from boss battles or confusing camera angles due to the less than adequate perspective. Still, there is plenty of fun to be had, even if Sonic the Hedgehog doesn't reach as high of speeds as most, even the Blue Blur himself, are accustomed to. Released on plenty of platforms and in many collections, Sonic 3D Blast isn't too difficult to track down, and if you can play it, I encourage you to do so and experience this unique Sonic adventure.

[SPC Says: C+]

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games: Tokyo 2020 (NSW) Review

After Thursday's Mario Kart Tour review, let's continue with our Mario theme we have going on with our reviews. It's time to take a look at Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games: Tokyo 2020, the first of two Olympic-themed games coming from Sega to commemorate the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Here's the SPC review.

A solid effort, but not enough to earn the top place on the podium.

It was over a decade ago that the gaming world was rocked with the announcement of longtime gaming rivals, Mario and Sonic, putting aside their differences to join forces to face off in the most unlikely of places--the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympic Games. Nowadays, we take for granted that Mario and Sonic face off every two years, be it summer or winter, and occasionally in a once-per-console-generation offering of the Super Smash Bros. series as well. The year 2020 approaches, as does the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games. Sega seeks to jump in on the Olympic hype ahead of next summer's games with two separate titles. The first released last month: Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games: Tokyo 2020, and with new features and new events, it aims to go for the gold.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games: Tokyo 2020's biggest new feature is that of a story mode. While strictly handheld versions of previous titles in the Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games series had story modes, Tokyo 2020 is the first for a major console version. It involves Mario, Sonic, Bowser, Eggman, and Toad being transported into a video game console based on the Tokyo 1964 Olympic Games, the very first time the Olympics were held in the city.

The Story Mode clocks in at just over five or so hours, depending on how fast you race through it.

The story transfers between chapters where Mario and Sonic compete against Bowser and Eggman in various retro events as well as unique one-off mini-games such as Sonic making a mad dash to pursue a bullet train, and chapters where the rest of the gang, led by Tails and Luigi, compete in real world events against various characters. Both story perspectives give players the opportunity to explore a world map with real life Olympic locations, though the locales outside of the Tokyo 1964 game are the most impressive. Obviously not just due to polygon and pixel difference, but the areas that Luigi and Tails visit are recreated with great detail, such as Tokyo Tower, for instance, among many other Tokyo points of interest. Inside the areas of the game that can be quasi-explored, there are multiple statues that reveal bits of trivia about Tokyo, the Olympics, and characters within the Mario and Sonic universes. Overall, the story mode lasts anywhere between 5-8 hours, but a good portion of that is cycling through text scenes which unfortunately cannot be skipped at the time of this review.

The participants have lined up at the starting gate, and this race is ready to be run!

While I mention the Story Mode first in this review, it was not my first destination within Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games: Tokyo 2020. Instead, and I imagine it will be this way for a majority of players, my go-to mode when I initially started up the game for my maiden session was Quick Play. This mode allows you to dive head first into every individual event in the game--all 34 of them. The majority take place in the--for lack of a better term since this is a game we're talking about--"real world of Mario and Sonic", while the others play out in the Tokyo 1964 retro-themed events. The latter are the most basic and easiest to understand of the games as they utilize incredibly simple controls, which are a cinch to learn. Unlike the main events of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games: Tokyo 2020, only half of the roster is available to play as in this mode, and from my understanding, they don't have any specific pluses or negatives to them like the main events in the game.

The retro-themed events include the 100 meter dash, hurdles, and long jump--but they also include retro exclusive events like the diving, Judo, shooting, and the Marathon, my favorite of the bunch. The Marathon is a side-scroller that starts out in the Olympic arena before quickly going to the streets. You compete against 99 other competitors, and you're trying not to run into them or other obstacles, as doing so lowers your stamina. You can regain stamina by slip-streaming off other runners when they form packs, as well as grabbing water at intermittent stations. This is all the while mashing the running button in a satisfactory rhythm that you're not going so slow that you can't catch up to first place while not going so fast that you exert all of your stamina too quickly.

Waluigi says, "Later, Gator" to Vector.

Meanwhile, there are the main Olympic events that take place in full HD glory. These feature more complex controls than what is offered in the retro events, and an issue I have with them is that they can become so involved and so different between events, that it can make remembering them a chore. Thus, many times when I returned to an event after a long absence, I had to reacquaint myself with the controls to remember what buttons did what action. If I had this trouble, imagine the trouble that more casual players of games would have.

Furthermore, so many events have little intricacies to the controls, such as pressing the jump button upon landing after your horse leaps over a fence in Equestrian to achieve a bonus boost or pressing L + A to perform an arcing kick over the goalie in Football. These are easy to forget when you're playing over 30 different events in the game with 30 different sets of controls. It makes a supposed pick-up-and-play game quite challenging to actually move from game to game without needing to reestablish what the controls are to each event. Thankfully, like Rio 2016 before it, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games: Tokyo 2020 also features an option to select between motion controls and much more consistent button controls with the occasional need to use the Joy-Cons' or Pro Controller's gyro functionality.

Mario hopes to score a goal for the ages to put his team on top and earn a gold medal in the process.

Continuing on with some negativity, while new events like Skateboarding and Sport Climbing are satisfying new event additions to the summer series of games, the absence of events from previous entries like BMX and Beach Volleyball disappoints. Still, it is hard to complain too terribly much when the majority of the events play well and are enjoyable--especially when there are 21 varieties to choose from, some of which in singles and team varieties, as well.

Move over, Tony Hawk--Miles "Tails" Prower is here to throw down.

In addition to the 21 real life Olympic events, there is the return of Dream Events. Unfortunately, this is a part of the game where I must complain a tad. While the Dream Events included in Mario & Sonic Tokyo 2020 are indeed a load of fun, there are only three of them in total. Compare this to the majority of past games in the Mario & Sonic series--both summer and winter--and it's a bit of a disappointment. Not only does this mean there's less Dream Event gameplay to enjoy, but it also means one of my favorite features of the franchise, the wonderful remixes of Mario and Sonic music is also less prominent--only featuring one remix from each respective platforming franchise TOTAL.

Still, like I mentioned, the trio of Dream Events, while small in number, add up to a load of fun. Dream Racing takes place in Sonic Forces' Metropolitan Highway and features Sonic Riders-like gameplay on hoverboards, where leaping off ramps, grinding rails, and using Mario Kart-esque items are what matters to achieve victory. Meanwhile, Dream Karate takes place at Super Mario Odyssey's Mushroom Kingdom with Peach's Castle resting in the distance. Here, players punch, kick, and otherwise launch other opponents on to tiles that flip to their character's color. The player with the most tiles flipped to their color at the timer's end is declared the winner. Finally, Dream Shooting takes place at a real life Japanese castle, and the goal here is to move through the arena, aiming and shooting at various targets, while trying to keep your combo going to acquire the most points before time runs out.

Blaze the Cat hopes to achieve a purr-fect run down this hazardous highway course.

Events can be selected to feature normal, hard, and very hard AI. In events where direct competition is not available, the point values and times logged in by the AI are made more difficult on the more challenging AI settings. It gets to the point where on Very Hard AI you basically have to beat an Olympic Record to stand a chance at competing on the AI's level. Those events where you are competing directly against the AI--such as Fencing, Football, Rugby Sevens, Badminton, Table Tennis, 100M Dash, Hurdles, 4 X 100 Relay, and so on--simply pit you against much tougher opponents.

In addition to local play on the same screen and the same Switch, there is also the ability to connect several Switches together for local multiplayer that way as well. Expanding upon the multiplayer is online play, which allows you to share your records worldwide with other players, compete in events with friends and strangers alike in lobbies, and participate in casual or ranked play. However, waiting in lobbies for specific events is quite troublesome, as for one, there's more waiting than actual playing in the case of events like the 100m Dash, and secondly, it can be quite hard to find anyone playing in an event you might like to try out online... or any event at all.

Between a race featuring two Sonics, who would have guessed it'd be Luigi leading the pack?

If online play isn't your bag, then aside from completing the story mode and perhaps beating Olympic records within the game or getting a gold medal on every event, there's not much to keep most players engaged with this installment of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, despite its--for the most part--quality. There are achievements to complete, but these are merely for your own personal sense of accomplishment, as unlike past installments of the series, these don't unlock anything. There isn't even an option to play as Miis, so there are no character-related costumes to unlock. Even that was something enjoyable to do in past games to keep me playing, which Tokyo 2020 lacks.

As an aside, the amount of characters in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games: Tokyo 2020 remains the same after several installments of the series, using the same cast of 16 characters, eight from the Mario series and eight from the Sonic series with unlockable characters that can only be played in specific events. For instance, if you love Espio from the Sonic series's Team Chaotix, then I hope you love the Long Jump, as that's the only event he can participate in.

"My name is Luigi Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die!"

Like some of the events in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games: Tokyo 2020, some elements of the game just seem half-baked. The amount of content is a major one, especially when you're comparing it to past entries in the series. This seems like a step back in that regard. That notwithstanding, Mario and Sonic's trip to Tokyo to compete ahead of the official 2020 Olympic Games nails the landing when it comes to being enjoyable to play. While you will find yourself scrambling to the menus to read up on a given event's controls more times than you might care to admit or care to like, the actual events are mostly entertaining, and the retro-themed events and minigames also sport plenty of opportunities for fun as well. It wouldn't be a review about a game set in the Olympics without a cliche reference, and while the review tagline already took care of that, here's a second one for you: Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games: Tokyo 2020 goes for the gold, but winds up with silver instead.

[SPC Says: B-]

Sonic Forces (PS4, XB1, NSW, PC) Review

Time for the first review of 2018, and it's for a game from 2017. You'll probably be seeing lots of 2017 game reviews on SuperPhillip Central as I catch up on what I missed in what was a jam-packed, A-MAZING year for video game releases. Perhaps "A-MAZING" isn't the best word to describe the first 2017 game being reviewed this year on SuperPhillip Central, but it's surprisingly not that bad, despite all the criticism towards the game. It's Sonic Forces, and it's SuperPhillip Central's first review of 2018!

Sonic Forces is no Sonic Farce.

I always take offense to people who say that "3D Sonic was never good" due to the fact that at the time, Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2 were admired games. They didn't stand the test of time, but they were early attempts at 3D platforming for Sonic Team. Even with those games notwithstanding, I argue that Sonic Colors and Sonic Generations, two more recent 3D Sonics made by the same developer, are very much quality games worthy of playing, despite anyone's aversion to the Blue Blur. On that note, after the less than delightful Sonic: Lost World and many missteps along the way, I don't really have the highest of faith in Sonic Team making a high quality 3D Sonic.

Right away with the first trailer of Sonic Forces, the latest in the series, I had some serious doubts. It looked oh-so linear, it looked like it was going back to the tryhard edge that I thought was left behind after Shadow the Hedgehog stained the series once again, and the game just didn't look like it was the culmination of four years' development time. While some of the my fears weren't unfounded, Sonic Forces manages to be a good take on the 3D Sonic formula by changing things up a little.

Sonic the Hedgehog's enemy, the evil Dr. Eggman, seems to try to take over the world every other week. While most of his plans are nothing to write home about and are defeated rather easily, there are the occasional doozies such as his scheme in Sonic Forces. Having the Phantom Ruby in his possession, Eggman creates a mysterious and powerful being known as Infinite. During Sonic's first confrontation with the foreboding opponent, Sonic gets captured by Eggman and put on the Death Egg. And while Sonic is away, the Eggman will play. Conquering the majority of Sonic and friends' world in Sonic's absence, Dr. Eggman seems poised to finally get his wish at beating that blasted hedgehog and his friends. That is until Sonic's friends build a coalition of -- for lack of a better term -- "freedom fighters" known as The Resistance to fight back.

Recent Sonic games since Sonic Colors aimed for a more carefree approach to their stories, but here with Sonic Forces, Sonic Team returns to a somewhat edgier take with the series. I was baffled when it was revealed that Sonic was "tortured on the Death Egg for six months." Hopefully all the torture was just Eggman forcing Sonic to play his 2006 game, but the context is something else entirely in an "Oh, my goodness, they're trying to play this absurd nonsense straight." By then, I just enjoyed the ride from there, ignoring Knuckles' "that's why it's called war" declaration said in a stupendously serious tone with no hint of comedy whatsoever. Perhaps kids will enjoy this type of storytelling and take it as cool, but as for older players, it's just hilarious to see the direction the Sonic series has returned to storytelling-wise.

And just like that, Sonic the Hedgehog is off to save the world once again, but this time not alone!

For the first time in Sonic series history, players can create and customize their own Avatar to play as. Starting off, you begin by selecting an animal species such as a bird, wolf, dog, hedgehog, etc. Which ever species you pick has several customization options like being able to choose from a set of ears, eyes, fur or feather color, voice, victory pose, and more. You can customize and edit your Avatar at any time, though you can't change certain aspects of your created hero such as its species. No worries, however, as once Sonic Forces has been beaten, you can create multiple Avatars instead of just being confined to the one.

The real enjoyable aspect of customizing your hero comes from completing in-game tasks and beating levels. Completing these unlock a handful of new attire options for each objective satisfied. You can gussy up your Avatar in a full outfit, from headgear, to pants, gloves, body suits, jackets, shirts, footwear, and so on and so forth. There are over 500 unique pieces of fashion to outfit your character with, and this will no doubt make certain players very happy, whether through their love of character creation or merely collecting as much stuff as possible.

Sonic and his new buddy show Dr. Eggman the true power of teamwork.

And Sonic Forces has a bunch to collect despite the game being on the short side, about 4-5 hours to complete. The 30 stages go by fast, taking 2-5 minutes each, but these short bursts of action are preferable to the cluttered, overly long messes that players had to endure in the less satisfying 3D Sonic games like Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), Sonic Unleashed's nighttime segments, or Shadow the Hedgehog. The smaller focus on shorter stages allows there to be enjoyed and replayed for better times on the online leaderboards and for aiming for those sometimes challenging "S" ranks.

It's a good thing that Sonic Forces' stages are so short. Replays aren't as daunting of a task as they were in other 3D Sonic games. This returns to my previously brought up thought about a lot to collect. Though optional to do, Sonic Forces' 4-6 hour campaign can be extended greatly through the collection of the game's Red Rings, five of which are found in each traditional stage in the game. Collecting all five in a stage then unlocks Number Rings to collect in that same stage. One final series of collectibles, Silver Moon Rings, unlock afterwards. Both Number and Silver Moon Rings need to be collected in a certain order, with the latter needing to be gathered in a limited amount of time. Not only is collecting all the Ring types for achievements and trophies, but they unlock additional, quick but challenging obstacle course levels and new outfit pieces.

The 30 stages in Sonic Forces are split up between four gameplay types: playing as Modern Sonic, playing as Classic Sonic, playing as your Avatar, and teaming your Avatar up with Modern Sonic for tag team levels. These joint operations have the fewest appearances in Sonic Forces with just three implementations. Meanwhile, Modern Sonic features a mix of 2D and 3D, but unlike past 3D Sonic games, the 3D areas are much more restricted in where you can move and go. Heck, the first level of the game, set in a sandy version of Green Hill, basically constricts you on a path when you're viewing Sonic from behind the back. The camera cannot be turned, and trying to move backward in this form is a recipe for death.

It can be a little jarring switching from a 3D section to a 2D one some of the time control-wise.

Meanwhile, Classic Sonic, who this time comes from the much loved Sonic Mania (released earlier last year than Forces) to pretty much do nothing other than have the developers say he's in the game, has levels that are all played out in 2D. Even his drop dash is included from Sonic Mania making for some new speed-running tactics for Classic Sonic in a 3D-based Sonic game. Despite the physics for both Sonics being less commendable to the devs than an official game created by fans -- this is due to things like poor midair momentum, off physics, and sometimes gnarly collision detection and bugs -- the stages in both hedgehogs' adventure play out overall well. Many have multiple paths to them, especially the 2D-only levels, which brought fleeting memories of the classic Genesis Sonic games of old and yes, Sonic Mania, as well.

Casino Forest has Classic Sonic striking it rich among the trees and local fauna.

Finally, playing as the Avatar is full of cheesy goodness, and most of the cheese comes from Knuckles and the rest of the Resistance's copious supply of praise for your character, almost spreading it on too thick to annoying amounts. "No, Knuckles, I don't know how you'd make it without my Avatar either." Yes, Sonic Forces is a game where players can live their furry power fantasy while Sonic the Hedgehog calls you "buddy." Finally, acceptance for being weird!


The Avatar levels are a mix of 2D and 3D like Modern Sonic, but your character has more in its arsenal, such as elemental-themed weapons called Wispons (named after the Wisps which debuted in the Nintendo Wii's brilliant Sonic Colors). These Wispons have various effects in the form of buffs and bonus abilities like gaining more points by collecting chains of rings, but the real benefit comes from the types of attacks each Wispon does. One can let out a burst of flames to seer foes to destruction while also causing an explosive boost that causes your Avatar to soar in the air (at least when you find a Red Wisp item capsule). Another example is a Wispon that unleashes an electric weapon to shock enemies into submission. The alternate ability granted by collecting a Yellow Wisp allows your Avatar to perform a light dash a la Sonic Adventure 2 where the character speeds along a path of rings, no matter if it's along the ground or floating in the air. Using different Wispons and their Wisp abilities grants access to parts of stages that would otherwise be inaccessible to Avatars with Wispons of a different type.

It's lucky for the Avatar that these Dr. Eggman-designed robots aren't fireproof. 

The other notable feature of the Avatar levels is a grappling device that hooks onto specific circular, midair objects. It safely pulls your hero across wide gaps, dangerous chasms, and allows reach to otherwise impossible-to-reach areas. While it's cool to look at, the need to use a lock-on function to attach yourself to the grappling point (Modern Sonic homing attack-style) means sometimes you'll be in range of the device and occasionally press the grapple button to no effect, falling down into a pit because the game decided you were no longer in range. These moments are maddening, but thanks to a 3D Sonic game finally ditching a lives counter and the aforementioned short length of stages, it doesn't take long to get back to where you were. Ample checkpoints also make this less frustrating as well.

Sonic Forces performs satisfactory on all platforms it is on. The only real loser here is the Nintendo Switch port that suffers from less detailed environments and some occasional slowdown. Meanwhile, the version I played, the PlayStation 4 build, offered much more in the way of detail, but it still didn't seem like a 3D Sonic game for 2017. When Sonic Unleashed, a game from 2008, looks more impressive than a 2017 Sonic game, I either have to blame the art direction or stay perplexed. Sometimes it's difficult to distinguish between your character in relation to what's going on, or even seeing an enemy ahead. This isn't even while boosting through levels, but instead when doing slow, methodical platforming.

The Avatar has just as many stages as Modern Sonic to play through, 8 in total.

Tomoya Ohtani and company went a different direction with the soundtrack of Sonic Forces, opting for a dubstep, electronic sound. There are still the occasional orchestral tracks, but most tracks are the former. At first, I didn't like hearing what was passing through my ears, especially when watching gameplay footage, but after playing Sonic Forces in length, the music actually works. Whether it's Modern Sonic's more rock-centric stage themes, Classic Sonic's synth-filled takes on Genesis music, or the Avatar's vocal and electronic stage songs, the soundtrack does indeed work. Pertaining to sound, Sonic Forces features solid work by the voice cast, offering nice and safe performances both during cutscenes and in stages, but for stages, you can always cut off radio chatter if that gets to you at any time.

It turns out Sonic Forces isn't a stinker after all. In fact, on many occasions it can be a lot of fun. Well, that is if you can ignore the uncommon bugs, the not-quite-there physics, the hilariously awkward and awful story, and then some. The lack of lives as well as having shorter stages and mostly enjoyable level design made for 3D Sonic game that I did, all in all, like. Kids will really dig this game, while older Sonic fans might also enjoy it, too. It's probably safe to say, though, that those who haven't been won over by a 3D Sonic game yet won't be won over by this one. Not even if you "forced" them to.

[SPC Says: C+]