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Mario vs Sonic. It's a debate that raged in schoolyards across the world throughout the early 90's after Sega introduced Sonic the Hedgehog as their mascot and hyperactive blue counterpoint to Nintendo's lovable plumber. The Sonic games distinguished themselves by being all about getting from the start to the finish at extremely high speeds, and then battling a boss monster. It was this simple "don't think, just keep moving" gameplay that brought fans back for more. Unfortunately for those fans, the Sonic games on the modern consoles have moved away from the 2D formula into more adventure and gimmicky games like Sonic Riders. Handhelds to the rescue!
Like every other Sonic game, the storyline is pretty sparse. Mad scientist Dr. Eggman is up to no good again, having obtained the Chaos Emeralds, the gems that Eggman is trying to harness the power of in almost all Sonic titles. Sonic has to stop him and his captured-animal-turned-robot army, thereby saving the world. It's simple stuff. Apparently though, Sonic's universe isn't the only one with a megalomaniac Eggman, and the scientist's meddling has opened up an interdimensional portal. This plot point is really only there to explain why you get to choose whether to play as Sonic, or as new character Blaze the Cat. Along the way, each of these characters runs into familiar faces such as Tails, Knuckles, Amy, and Cream as they further the story in small text-based conversations. The gameplay is "neo-retro". It has the classic feel of the original games, but with a few new twists. First of all, the level is split across the two screens of the DS, and you frequently hurtle from screen to screen by way of near-vertical ramps. Another big change is the availability of a variety of mid-air tricks via combination button presses. While mostly just for trick pointsﾗthat earn you a better rating in your end-of-level assessmentﾗthere are a few places in the levels that you're required to pull off a trick or special move to make a particular jump or destroy enemies more efficiently. Performing tricks is also the easiest way to boost your Tension Gauge, another new addition that enables you to execute a Super Boost. This powerful attack is also the only way to use the Special Generators and gain access to the Special Stage. Present in most Sonic games, the Special Stages in Sonic Rush hearken back to Sonic 2, with the 2D perspective changing to 3D, and Sonic barreling down a tubular path, collecting rings and attacking enemies while you control him with the touch screen. Like previous titles, if you collect enough rings in the Special Stage you earn a Chaos Emerald. These new additions are essential to progression but are not introduced via in-game instructions. Get out the manual at least once to figure out how to execute them.  Whichever character you choose, you're zipping through the same levels, only in a different order and with slight tweaks for each character. Sonic is questing for Chaos Emeralds but Blaze is after Sol Emeralds. The special moves and tricks differ in name and looks, but they are essentially the same. Sonic's Super Boost becomes Blaze's Fire Boost. His Spin Jump becomes her Axel Jump, and so on. To fully reveal the whole story, you have to finish the game as both Blaze and Sonic. It's a bit of a cheap tactic but replaying each level again and again to improve time and rating provides some replayability. A two-player Battle Mode is also available, allowing both players to share one cartridge between two Nintendo DS systems, or use two cartridges for more in-game options. The game is in gloriously presented. The 2D graphics are sharp, colorful, and well-defined, although blink and you miss them because the game moves at an incredibly high speed. That's almost a shame, because each zone has a distinctive theme, from Egyptian pyramids to a water palace to a battleship. The 3D rendering capabilities of the DS do not go unused however, as there are several objects in each zone that have a 3D element. The aforementioned Special Stages, and the boss battles are done in a "2.5D" style akin to the Klonoa games. On top of that, you get Sonic or Blaze rendered in 3D for their post-zone victory celebrations. Aurally, there is a good collection of suitable jump and attack noises, all standard fare. There is a bit of speech from some of the characters, but it is only really used as punctuation, e.g. "Alright Sonic!" Then there's the soundtrack. Sonic Rush is possibly the first game I've ever bought primarily for the music. While perhaps not to everyone's taste, all the music was created by Hideki Naganuma, the man behind the Jet Set Radio soundtracks on Dreamcast and Xbox. His high-energy, sample-laden dance music style is perfectly suited to the frenetic pace of Sonic Rush, and deserves to be heard through headphones instead of the DS' tinny little speakers.  Sonic Rush is the sort of title that seems to be disappearing from game store shelves. There are no photorealistic graphics, celebrity voice acting, or accurate portrayal of the tough gangsta street-life. Instead you get a bright happy world with you as the good guy trying to defeat the bad guy. It elicits a smile instead of a sneer. It's not perfectﾗthere are a few too many spots where you run into an enemy or lose a life because you can't see the danger coming, and the areas where you have to clear a room full of enemies can get tediousﾗbut it's a solid title that will satisfy anyone looking for some old-school 2D action. 
Most Sonic games seem intended to be enjoyed by everyone, so you're not going to find any obviously objectionable content. You're battling lots of enemies, but they are robots and you dispatch them by jumping on them. Some of them shoot back, but they're armed with lasers, not realistic weapons. When destroyed, they just vanish in a puff of machine parts. Likewise, when you lose a life, it's nothing traumatic.
Sonic Rush's content makes it an all-ages title. Younger children may have difficulty with the game though, as some spots can be quite frustrating. This is offset slightly by the Sonic system of not losing a life even if you hit an enemy, as long as you have rings collected, but rings won't help you if you miss a jump. Reading skill is also necessary to follow the story as it's presented via cutscenes, but it's not really that necessary to play. Finally, I appreciate that you have a choice between playing a male or female character. Of course, Sonic is the star, but Blaze is just as capable and can hold her own. This review edited by Dave Long Comments? Chat about it in our forums! Format For Printing | Tell A Friend | Digg | Slashdot | del.icio.us | Buy This Game Home > Review Archive > Video Games > Results: Sonic Rush |
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