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[sorryaboutdresden]

Impressions from the final build of Sonic Rush
Advanced Media Network

For starters, Sonic Rush truly takes advantage of the system’s dual-screens, portraying all of the action at once, with Sonic’s specific location constantly being moved from top to bottom screen. We’ve always loved Sonic because of the hedgehog’s speed, but we’re seriously forced to react quickly and follow Sonic as he rapidly jumps from screen to screen based on his platform elevation. The presentation of it all is as smooth as can be, without any hint of slowdown, and giving us an accurate sense of how fast Sonic really is going. For example, loops may end facing down, forcing players to immediately switch their concentration from the top to bottom screen as Sonic continues through the lower areas of the level. The expanded view forces players to make a quicker decision about which of the multiple paths to take, especially if they’re looking for that specific power-up. The dual-screen view has to be seen in action to see just how much the gameplay opens up with the environments flowing at full speed. Going forward isn’t always the recommended way to go in Sonic Rush. Using the dual-screen view so frequently overpowers using the touch-screen to control Sonic, so Sega rightfully confined touch screen controls for the bonus stages.

The gameplay design sticks to what worked best for Sega during Sonic’s 2D days. Sure, all of the levels re-enforce an unimaginable sense of speed, but mindless speed-boosting won’t get Sonic through the levels as safely as before. Selectable through a rather colorful world map a la Super Mario World oddly enough, the game keeps track of all of the stages you’ve cleared, including the option for replaying finished stages. In addition, the world map also keeps track of high scores and rankings for each stage, adding a bit more replay value. You’ll be able to choose initially from two characters, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Blaze the Cat, both of which vary in moves and overall feel. They’re both speedsters, but it seems as if Blaze has the higher learning curve. Either way, the goal for each stage remains the same. To get to the end of a level, each character will once again have to collect rings for life vitality and speed, gradually filling up the tension gauge on the left side of the screen displaying your character’s speed boost meter. At the end of the stage, you’ll receive a letter grade based on the time elapsed during the level, amount of rings collected, and even tallied trick points accumulated through high-flying techniques. Depending on how well you do, bonus levels may be initiated for earning Chaos or Sol emeralds, based on which character you use, to enhance progress of the game.

The control scheme for Sonic Rush is as simple as it could get, without too many abilities to limit a player from maximizing the potential of each character. The direction pad is used for moving left, right, or ducking. There’s no touch-screen control here and gladfully so. The A and B buttons are used for jumping, while pressing down and either of those buttons will charge your character up for the classic dash move. In addition, you can also use the R trigger button in mid-air to gain a boost to reach those far-fetched platforms. As mentioned before, the tension gauge is utilized by pressing either the X or Y buttons, and gives either character an extreme boost that slowly depletes the meter. By collecting enough rings and reserving usage of the boost, the gauge can expand three times (red color) giving Sonic, for instance, an infinite boost for a limited amount of time. The boost itself is key for unlocking the special stages, which are unlocked mostly through level speed-through and careful path planning. Ramps are also found in abundance throughout each stage, shooting each character in mid-air, allowing for trick combinations. These tricks, which stack up at the end of a stage, are done by combining the R and B buttons at the same time as the control pad. If you’re able to stack up different tricks during this short period of airlift, you’ll earn serious trick points. However, the same tricks will only result in lower repeated scores.

 

[..pakbeka..]

I hope Knuckles is unlockable, he could work just like he did in the Sonic 3 levels, breaking everything in his path

 

[Ranger X]

I hope this game is good. I didn't liked Sonic Advance 2 and 3 as they were feeling like it's almost a racing game. I hope Sonic will feel like a platformer again (Sonic 3 is God)

 

[JavyOO7]

I hope the big games of the DS in November deliver.

Mario Kart
Viewtiful Joe
Sonic Rush
Tony Hawk: AW

This time around though, I have a keen eye on Sonic Rush. Not taking glances at any previews and such (pictures/movies) but impressions like this one. Dear god I hope this game is great.

 

[Kroole]

I hope the big games of the DS in November deliver.

Mario Kart
Viewtiful Joe
Sonic Rush
Tony Hawk: AW

This time around though, I have a keen eye on Sonic Rush. Not taking glances at any previews and such (pictures/movies) but impressions like this one. Dear god I hope this game is great.

No Mario & Luigi love?

 

[JavyOO7]

M&L come out in November?

 

[methodman]

SBK comes out november too. Wonder if that's going to be any good.
M&L 2 comes out 11/28/2005 so yeah, Great month for DS owners.

 

[EternalDarko]

I need to get me a DS soon. I definately need to get MK, Sonic and VJ when they are released. I also need to get things like Kirby, Advance Wars and the many others i've missed out on thus far.

 

[JavyOO7]

I need to get me a DS soon. I definately need to get MK, Sonic and VJ when they are released. I also need to get things like Kirby, Advance Wars and the many others i've missed out on thus far.

Don't forget about Meteos, too! If you like puzzle games like Tetris and Lumines, you will love this one. Really addicting.

 

[EternalDarko]

Yep, that counts as one of the many others i forgot to mention. ;-)

 

[JavyOO7]

Heh.

But really, this will be the first Sonic title I own (yes, Sonic Collection/Gems... haven't played them at all yet though. ), and man I hope it doesn't dissapoint. This is EXACTLY the type of game I've wanted since the DS came to be about... a game that would display the action simultanousely on two screens. And hey, it bears the Sonic name... please be good please be good.

 

[ALMEHDAAOL]

ya guys might wanna go the actual article again and read the last three sentences of the preview. HYPE HYPE HYPE!

 

[Teddman]

This is as close as handheld gaming will ever get to re-capturing that classic Sonic feel. It’s without a doubt in my mind that [despite the excellent track record of portable Sonic games] Sonic Rush for the Nintendo DS will eventually be known as the best handheld Sonic game ever. Simply breathtaking.

And when the stellar reviews roll in, remember where ya heard the good word first:

We'll see if Sonic Rush comes out this year! And if it doesn't suck! The only positive feedback I've heard on it has been from arch-shill Teddman...

 

[Tsubaki]

Btw, is this game by Dimps or Sonic Team?

I don't mind either way but, it'll be interesting to see what Naka does when he's back on 2D.

 

[Teddman]

Sonic TEAM, baby.

And boy does it show!

 

[Aruarian Reflection]

Wow, this comes out in November? Awesome, I'm dying for a new good game on the DS

Btw, why does the name "Ray Almeda" ring a bell for me? Hrm... any chance he was a GamingNoise listener? I can't remember where I heard this name.

 

[ALMEHDAAOL]

Ray Almeda used to be a GamingNoise listener Wolf. Had a few bumpers here and there too... remember NintenDome.com?

 

[Farmboy]

It is supposed to be very good. Our reviewer calls it "the best Sonic since Sonic & Knuckles", possibly even since Sonic 2 (and he has played them all), way better than the Sonic Advance installments. It's fast, fun, challenging-but-not-frustrating and the Naganuma music is great. 9/10. Says he.

BTW, according to him it's a collaborative effort: the end credits apparently mention both Dimps and Sonic Team as developers.

 

[Juice]

Ray Almeda used to be a GamingNoise listener Wolf. Had a few bumpers here and there too... remember NintenDome.com?

Ray Almeda is a fucking crook who'd copy and paste entire news stories from Nintendojo on a regular basis.

 

[FortNinety]

I enjoyed it all the times I've played the game.

Though each and everytime, I did manage to get myself "stuck", so I had to backtrack and all that jazz. Sonic (at least the 2D ones) was all about going anywhere period. Hopefully with a little more time, the problem will be nonexistent...