it's a true tribute to Sonic the Hedgehog that he's still incredibly popular among gamers (and still serves as Sega's main mascot) despite the fact that it's been quite some time since the little blue guy has starred in a critically-acclaimed adventure. Even most die-hard fans are starting to feel the shine has come off the hedgehog's star.
The verdict is still out on the frankly bizarre Shadow the Hedgehog, but there's still hope for Sonic to restore a little lustre, though admittedly from an unlikely quarter: The Nintendo DS. Those who have played the series' N-Gage installment might feel a bit leery of attempting its breakneck action ever again on a vertically-oriented screen (or screens, as the case may be) -- after all, speed is the essence of Sonic, and its tough to see what obstacles lie ahead when the screen is taller than it is wide.
Fortunately, that doesn't seem to be an issue on the DS. Although Sega has chosen to use the system's dual screen feature to simply display more game action, the perspective doesn't feel uncomfortably cramped, and players are no more likely to careen headlong into a deathtrap than they would be on a console-based incarnation of the series.
That's a good thing, too, because Sonic Rush lives up to its name: It's quite possibly the fastest Sonic ever. Sonic has quite a few more skills at his disposal than the standard jump and dash; by tapping the Y button, Sonic will perform a Nitro burst which offers fantastic speed but can't be sustained for as long as a standard dash. In other words, it leaves Sonic more vulnerable to collisions with enemies, because he's moving faster for shorter bursts and has less reaction time.
For those who don't feel the Nitro ability adds enough adrenaline to the experience, Sonic can also perform "tension tricks" -- tap the X button or hold the R trigger while in the air to execute special moves for the sake of sheer flair (and bonus points). We were only able to play through a single game environment, but Rush seems to contain just about every trick in the series' book. In addition to the standard loops, bumpers and trampolines, players can zip through twisting vertical spirals and catch extra air time by snapping from bungee cords. The action frequently shifts from the top to bottom screen and back, and the added visual space is helpful since traveling vertically in a Sonic game can often be a risky prospect; now it's easier to tell if you're about to fall into spikes and leap up into a killer robot. The game data (Rings, score, time, etc.) move across screens with Sonic, which helps minimize disorientation.
Rush features a unique mix of 2D and 3D -- normally games that mix polygons and hand-drawn art offer sprite-based characters and 3D backgrounds, but in this case it's precisely the opposite. The backgrounds are lush, traditional environments but Sonic and his enemies are all tiny, cel-shaded 3D characters. The effect seems a little odd at first, but it allows the characters to move with even more fluidity than ever before.
It also makes possible the game's spectacular boss battles, which transpire in a 2.5D perspective and strongly resemble the boss encounters in Klonoa and Pandemonium. In the demo, Sonic concluded the first level by facing off against a long-necked beast that attempted to slam its head into Sonic (an instantly fatal attack, regardless of whether or not the player had collected any rings).
It's still a little strange to think of Sonic being at his best on Nintendo's console. But for fans who have been sitting the fence about whether or not to buy a DS (or another Sonic game, period), Rush may be the factor that decides it for them.
