Some of these levels are blowing me away, not just the big ones, there are smaller levels that have a platforming hook to them. The wisps totally add the Mario feel to the game, this is a key element that has been missing from Sonic. Its wild to see actual platforming vareity in a 3D Sonic (which is actually mostly 2D).
Then there are the major levels that have so many paths, it will take many playthroughs to see them all. Like the best 3D Sonic levels when mastered the levels offer a big thrill. Yes the wisps slow things down a bit, so its not like Unleashed where everything is moving at 1000 mph constantly but its a welcome change, it offers exploration to the mix.
The only negatives I can find is that the bosses are kind of crappy. Also you will fly through this game, some levels are super short and there is no rhythm to when you will get a large one and when you get a small one. I find myself bouncing around new levels, old ones, that sonic arcade thingy.
I've been playing for about an hour now, and I'm really impressed with the density of some of the levels. I didn't care for the cutscences all that much, but you can skip them, so it's hardly a problem. Sweet Mountain is great, and the Tropical Resort levels get much more interesting once you can go back to them with the powerups.
It feels so strange to be actively enjoying a 3D Sonic game :0
Holy crap at Challenge mode. You have to play every act of a world back to back to back and the score piles up into one world score. Imagine doing a perfect run on that.
Holy crap at Challenge mode. You have to play every act of a world back to back to back and the score piles up into one world score. Imagine doing a perfect run on that.
I maxed my score out on Asteroid Coaster Act 1. It's very simple actually. Key thing is your ring bonus. You want to at least make it from the beginning of challenge mode to Asteroid Coaster without losing rings and you should be fine.
Don't watch if you don't want to be spoiled, obviously.
Holy crap at Challenge mode. You have to play every act of a world back to back to back and the score piles up into one world score. Imagine doing a perfect run on that.
Just finished the main game and now it's Red Ring huntin' time!
I can't begin to say how much I love this game! It's not only Sonic's best 3-D games, it's one of his best games period!! I enjoyed it so much.
The Graphics - 10/10 This game is pushing the Wii's graphic capabilities to it's limit! There's so much going on screen at once and you still get a smooth 30 FPS framerate. Olus, Sonic's model and the cutscene models were taken straight from the HD version of Unleashed and it looks awesome. If I had the tiniest nitpick, it would be that Sonic's too small during the 2-D portions.
The Soundtrack - 9/10 The orchestral score is beautiful, the zone themes are some of the best I've ever heard and the sound quality alone is wonderful. Aquatic Park Act 1 is one of my favorite Sonic themes ever! This is one of, if not Sonic's best Soundtrack ever. On that note, the vocal songs were cheesier than usual and pretty horrible. They're so bad, they make me wish for Crush 40 back!:lol
The Gameplay - 9/10 Using the Unleashed style really helped make the gameplay incredibly fun. The imagination that went into these incredible levels were top notch. Due to each Wisp giving you a new path, they have tons of replayability. The Wisps were incredibly fun. Especially the Driill Wisp and Hover Wisp. The 2-D gameplay made this game feel more "Mario-like" than any previous Sonic games. It's a little less original, but a lot more fun than usual Sonic games. My main nitpick is that the Jumping feels a bit off. Doing long jumps is fine, but trying to do a double jump fells very odd. Also, the Purple Frenzy Wisp was hard to control in 3-D levels.
The Story/Cutscenes - 9/10 Although some lines were kinda cheesy, THIS is what I want to see out of a Sonic game! Good humour and great dialogue. It was funny to see Tails rib Sonic a few times and Sonic's cocky attitude toward the bosses reminded me of Bugs Bunny a little. Also, Eggman's announcements around the park are hilarious.
The voice acting is the best this series has had. Roger Craig Smith gives Sonic more attitude and emotion than I've heard since the days of Jaleel White. Also, Kate Higgins Tails is really well done.
When Tails was telling Sonic he was worried about Yacker, he had this really sad tone in his voice that kinda made me go "Awww."
Good Riddance 4-Kids cast.
OVERALL - 9.5/10 This Sonic game feels like it was made with me in mind. It has everything I've been asking for as of late. More focus on platforming than speed. A light-hearted, more funny story. Sonic has attitude again instead of being a little wuss. (No wishing for hankerchiefs so you can cry all you want.) Taking what worked in Unleashed and focusing on that. It's in my top 3 Sonic games of all time. Just below Sonic 3 and Knuckles and above Sonic 1. (Sonic 2 is still my top fave.)
Note to Sega - I WANT MORE OF THIS!! PLEASE! You finally got it right!!
Just finished the main game and now it's Red Ring huntin' time!
I can't begin to say how much I love this game! It's not only Sonic's best 3-D games, it's one of his best games period!! I enjoyed it so much.
The Graphics - 10/10 This game is pushing the Wii's graphic capabilities to it's limit! There's so much going on screen at once and you still get a smooth 30 FPS framerate. Olus, Sonic's model and the cutscene models were taken straight from the HD version of Unleashed and it looks awesome. If I had the tiniest nitpick, it would be that Sonic's too small during the 2-D portions.
The Soundtrack - 9/10 The orchestral score is beautiful, the zone themes are some of the best I've ever heard and the sound quality alone is wonderful. Aquatic Park Act 1 is one of my favorite Sonic themes ever! This is one of, if not Sonic's best Soundtrack ever. On that note, the vocal songs were cheesier than usual and pretty horrible. They're so bad, they make me wish for Crush 40 back!:lol
The Gameplay - 9/10 Using the Unleashed style really helped make the gameplay incredibly fun. The imagination that went into these incredible levels were top notch. Due to each Wisp giving you a new path, they have tons of replayability. The Wisps were incredibly fun. Especially the Driill Wisp and Hover Wisp. The 2-D gameplay made this game feel more "Mario-like" than any previous Sonic games. It's a little less original, but a lot more fun than usual Sonic games. My main nitpick is that the Jumping feels a bit off. Doing long jumps is fine, but trying to do a double jump fells very odd. Also, the Purple Frenzy Wisp was hard to control in 3-D levels.
The Story/Cutscenes - 9/10 Although some lines were kinda cheesy, THIS is what I want to see out of a Sonic game! Good humour and great dialogue. It was funny to see Tails rib Sonic a few times and Sonic's cocky attitude toward the bosses reminded me of Bugs Bunny a little. Also, Eggman's announcements around the park are hilarious.
The voice acting is the best this series has had. Roger Craig Smith gives Sonic more attitude and emotion than I've heard since the days of Jaleel White. Also, Kate Higgins Tails is really well done.
When Tails was telling Sonic he was worried about Yacker, he had this really sad tone in his voice that kinda made me go "Awww."
Good Riddance 4-Kids cast.
OVERALL - 9.5/10 This Sonic game feels like it was made with me in mind. It has everything I've been asking for as of late. More focus on platforming than speed. A light-hearted, more funny story. Sonic has attitude again instead of being a little wuss. (No wishing for hankerchiefs so you can cry all you want.) Taking what worked in Unleashed and focusing on that. It's in my top 3 Sonic games of all time. Just below Sonic 3 and Knuckles and above Sonic 1. (Sonic 2 is still my top fave.)
Note to Sega - I WANT MORE OF THIS!! PLEASE! You finally got it right!!
Just finished it... It. Was. Excellent. Aquarium Park was probably the biggest surprise of the game for me, only because it was an entire world of water levels and it wasn't frustrating. I enjoyed the hell out of it, just like I did the rest of the game. Asteroid Coaster was definitely a bit of a challenge, but Act 4 alone makes the whole world forgivable. Even the squares that push you to your death.
Seriously, an entire level about being a dick to Motobugs?! That one level is all about being Sonic the Hedgehog! I fucking love it! (And I S-Ranked it)
Terminal Velocity... gotdamn I love that level's music. It made the whole thing easier to take, because it WAS pretty damn difficult. But it was so rewarding to finish. Then the final boss... it is hard, as a final boss should be. But once you figure it out after dying 3 times, it will be awesome. I won't spoil what comes after that, but it certainly ramps things up for the ending.
And so the story is over, but I'm still itching to plow through the stages with my new Wisp pals and get me some more Red Rings. The Sonic Simulator (oh god, I almost typed Stimulator :lol) stages are a fun little addicting time waster. Then I still have Challenge mode to check out, and the main levels are fun enough for me to want to play through them again to explore all the possible routes and such.
FINAL VERDICT: 9/10. I even brofisted Sonic on the game case. :lol
Damn fine game you got here, Sonic Team, damn fine. NOW WHADDYA SAY WE WORK ON HAVING A LITTLE CONSISTENCY?!
EDIT: Just got kicked out of the living room, so now I'm left curious...
What's that sparkling star off to the right of Asteroid Coaster???
While it is a point that can be argued as to which is best, it has to be said: fans of platformers are spoiled rotten this year. I can't think of a year this good to the genre in this or the last generation.
edit: it's probably obvious, but if anyone hasn't worked it out, you can get two hits on the final boss from every opportunity. The first is the obvious way, but then, when he is close after you damage him, do a jump and boost into his face (homing attack wont do it).
While it is a point that can be argued as to which is best, it has to be said: fans of platformers are spoiled rotten this year. I can't think of a year this good to the genre in this or the last generation.
edit: it's probably obvious, but if anyone hasn't worked it out, you can get two hits on the final boss from every opportunity. The first is the obvious way, but then, when he is close after you damage him, do a jump and boost into his face (homing attack wont do it).
I am 4th place in Sweet Mountain Act 1, and I am the first place guy before the cheating scores start.
I am also 2nd place in 1-1 of the simulator and I am top 20 other various acts. I wish the ranking page wasn't such a pain in the ass. I bet a lot of people aren't uploading their scores.
I am having so much fun S ranking these levels, I forget that I still have three full worlds to do.
edit: it's probably obvious, but if anyone hasn't worked it out, you can get two hits on the final boss from every opportunity. The first is the obvious way, but then, when he is close after you damage him, do a jump and boost into his face (homing attack wont do it).
Just finished it. Its kind of late, and my heads still swimming so I'll do a write up later.
I'm just really impressed at how good the final boss fight was especially since the rest were just okay. I think the thing that stands out most for me is just how Sonic this game feels. Every 3d Sonic post-Adventure has a distinct realistic bent to the world (even the toonier Heroes) thats just not present here. Its like the game came from some alternate timeline of Sonic games.
Just finished it. Its kind of late, and my heads still swimming so I'll do a write up later.
I'm just really impressed at how good the final boss fight was especially since the rest were just okay. I think the thing that stands out most for me is just how Sonic this game feels. Every 3d Sonic post-Adventure has a distinct realistic bent to the world (even the toonier Heroes) thats just not present here. Its like the game came from some alternate timeline of Sonic games.
I think that explains how this game must have been produced. It's from some alternate timeline where Sonic and Mario switched rolls. This is some sort of weird flop/crap game in their timeline and it must have just bombed. In order to turn a profit they just sent it over to our timeline in order to recoup investment costs. It makes sense and it satisfies the Sonic cycle too! :lol
Finished up Planet Wisp (4 S rankings and 3 A rankings which is my best effort yet) and got a few more S rankings in Tropical Resort and Sweet Mountain.
Maybe it's just because the game is fresh and I'm in a good mood, but the only Sonic game that tops this for me is Sonic 3 and Kuckles.
Sonic Colours is so relentless entertaining that I'm in shock. The game is genuinely fun to play, which is more than I can say for most of Sonic's 3D ventures. It actually feels good. Not to say that it doesn't have a few awkward control quirks, but boy is it an improvement.
I think what's surprised me most is the sheer attention to detail. SEGA put a ridiculous amount of love into this game. The superb map screens, the various things you can do in menus and the grading sequence, cutscenes that are actually funny and enjoyable, music timed exactly right to match what's happening on screen...it's as if SEGA actually enjoyed making games again.
Planet Wisp is basically what I wanted from 3D Sonic all along. It's exhilarating and superbly composed, but it's also challenging, takes skill and forces the player to think outside the box. The 3D to 2D switches are virtually seamless and the overall vibe of the zone - from the outstanding musical score to the lush grass and vegetation - gives me a slight, but wonderful Green Hill feeling.
They aren't quite as large, long, or complex as they seem at first (mostly). The big wisp signs hanging all over the place point out most of the major divergence points, and everything else is just a matter of poking around the corners.
Personally Planet Wisp is my favourite so far, the melody that underlines the song is wonderful and the production is really smooth. They're all great though.
As soon as I click on Sweet Mountain and heard the map music I had a huge grin on my face.