PSP

Sonic Rivals

So basically what you have here is a hybrid between racing and platforming with a Sonic flavour to it. And why not? Sonic has always been a fast series. It makes sense and also makes for a good game. Sonic may be on a comeback, but even if he isn’t, Sonic Rivals would make a nice addition to your collection. Go on, buy it now!

Sonic Rivals isn't going to revitalize the franchise, but it's definitely a step in the right direction. And compared to the Xbox 360 Sonic, this could easily be Game of the Year. The short, stupid story and fundamentally identical characters are balanced by a variety of game modes (including wireless play in which you can bet your unlocked cards), classic Sonic action and beautifully rendered game worlds (especially on the little PSP). It's not the best on the system, but it's a must-buy for anyone who wasted hours (if not days or weeks) of their lives on the original Sonic the Hedgehog for SEGA's Genesis console.

Sonic Rivals updates the classic 16-bit formula for modern handhelds. It mixes snazzy visuals with a good sense of speed, so there's little doubt hardcore Sonic fans will find a lot to like. Plus, it has a rewarding multiplayer mode and wager system, which only adds to the experience. Still, it has a few problems, namely in the areas of course design and control, but none of them completely destroy the experience.

After all of the poor 3D Sonic games Sega have given us, and the pitiful attempt made by Sonic Riders to make Sonic race, we can finally stand up and say, we’re yet again unimpressed. It seems, although he’s regaining some of his old style, Sonic is struggling to get the good games he deserves, however Sonic Rush is an exception as, hopefully Sonic and the Secret Rings will be. Rivals is only half decent, when we know Sonic should be so much better. Only buy it if it’s around half price.

Rivals ist rasant, wirklich sehr rasant – außerdem einfach zu begreifen, einfach zu bedienen, einfach zu spielen, darüber hinaus schön bunt. Und unübersichtlich: Das Leveldesign setzt auf Auswendiglernen der Gegner- und potenziellen Absturz-Positionen, der hohen Geschwindigkeit sei Dank bekommt man nämlich Gefahren grundsätzlich erst dann mit, wenn’s schon zu spät ist. Außerdem herrscht auch hier wieder mal das alte Problem der 3D-Sonics vor, dass man sich oft genug mehr wie ein minimal interagierender Beobachter denn als tatsächlicher Spieler fühlt – oft genug reicht es, den Finger schwer auf der »Rechts«-Taste ruhen zu lassen, um den halben Level zu durchqueren.

Sonic Rivals is a fun but shallow game. The graphics and speed-based level design are great, but the game's short length and lack of truly compelling replay value are cause for hesitation. It's a good buy for Sonic and 2D platforming fans; everyone else might want to think it over a bit before they go ahead and plunk down forty bucks. One thing's for sure: It's certainly a lot better than Sonic on the X360. Then again, that's not saying much, is it?

Sonic Rivals is one of the best Sonic games in recent times. It's ironic that the developer behind this game isn't actually Sonic Team, but Backbone entertainment, who developed Death Jr.. With fast gameplay, great level design and 2D gameplay Sonic Rivals is an easy title to recommend, the sheer amount of things you can do is very impressive and should keep you going until the next good Sonic title comes along.

Outside of the odd frustrating stage, the only criticism I have of Sonic Rivals is its brevity. The main story is very short and you are unlikely to want to complete it with all the different characters unless you are a diehard fan. Still, while nothing groundbreaking or revolutionary, this is a very polished and thoroughly enjoyable game that proves, along with last year's Sonic Rush on DS, that Sonic is far more suited to handheld consoles than he is their bigger brothers.

That being said, Sonic Rivals still stands head and shoulders over other recent efforts in the franchise - and, indeed, over many other recent PSP titles - simply because the game at the heart of it all is downright fun. Zipping around the tracks at ludicrous speed with Sonic leaving a blue blur in his wake is just how Sonic games are meant to feel - and the focus on speed is perfectly accentuated by the addition of the rival. While the tracks may be imperfect (and arguably too few in number), and the rival's AI may be frustrating, this is still a game which finally merges Sonic's 3D visuals with the rock solid gameplay of the 2D incarnations, and will provide hours of fun for bored commuters, long haul travellers or anyone else who fancies pocket-sized fun with garden fauna's answer to Richard Hammond.

With its over reliance on holding down right and lack of depth within its levels, those who didn't like Sonic in the first place certainly won't like Rivals. For those people for whom the Mega Drive Sonics were some of the best platformers ever created, Sonic Rivals is a blistering return to form and a game that may inadvertently sound the death knell for Sonic Team's Sonic career. Maybe it's time they had a name change.

Sonic Rivals is a fast and fun game, but it can also be frustrating. The trial-and-error process required to make it through a race can get very tedious. When all you want to do is run really fast, the unseen hazards that slow you down can be aggravating. But if you're willing to put up with some punishment, you'll have fun running through the long levels in the game. There aren't many of them, though, and as a result, the replay value takes a hit. Still, Sonic Rivals has enough fun moments to make it a decent game to take with you on the go.

The base gameplay is descent, although the inclusion of power up attacks and platforming obstacles only serves to muddle the experience, making success feel more like a matter of blind luck than skill. Still, it's at least a solid direction for the Sonic series and I hope Backbone gets the chance to refine it in the future.

With a bit more thought, Sonic Rivals could have been great. As it is, it's merely above average. The question remains,f why bother altering the format of a game that works well? Why try to fit a side-scrolling platformer into a 2.5D side-scrolling race game? Why not simply create a 2.5D platformer? Once again, there's nothing here to rival the Sonics of old, and the holy grail of creating a truly worthy Sonic title remains a poisoned chalice.

Contrairement au premier jeu du hérisson bleu sur Xbox 360, qui s'est avéré très décevant, Sonic Rivals est une entrée en matière bien sympathique pour l'animal emblématique de Sega sur PSP. Certes, ce n'est pas parfait car la chance tient une trop grande place dans les parties et les niveaux ne sont pas assez nombreux, mais la prise en main est intuitive, on n'a pas de problèmes de caméra et on passe un bon moment, surtout en mode deux joueurs.

In many ways, I give Backbone Studios kudos because this is not the same Sonic we've been seeing on the bigger consoles, and it really does lend itself better to the portable system than porting something like Sonic Riders. Unfortunately, it brings little to the table beyond sheer speed and smacks soundly of the "battle" mode we spent many a day playing back in the Sonic The Hedgehog 2 era. While it's a fun distraction in small bursts and certainly does few things intrinsically wrong, Sonic Rivals is not going to be the next best thing.

A series of unlockable wardrobe items do little to massage the questionable value for money factor of what is ultimately a short game that puts an interesting, er, ‘spin’, on the classic Sonic gameplay, yet fails to live up to such past successes. In the end the game has more value in the way of nostalgia than it does gameplay, and those who actually have been keeping up with the developments within the Sonic universe likely won’t be too impressed by the lack of content or challenge.

Ultimately enjoyable in small doses, Sonic Rivals struggles under the scrutiny of extended play. With each character playing the exactly the same, shifting among the four seems nothing more than an aesthetic choice, especially since they all proceed through the same levels in the same order. Circuit Cup attempts to mix things up, its out-of-order track selection calling to mind a more traditional racing game, but tedious access requirements prevent Circuit Cup from realizing its potential, instead making the game all the more frustrating. Fun only in short bursts, Sonic Rivals gets the core essentials right, but not much else.

"Sonic Rivals" resgata um pouco da magia que a mascote tinha em sua época de ouro dos 16 bits. Mas também acrescentou novidades que tornam o game mais dinâmico, como sua proposta que se assemelha a uma corrida. Não é um título profundo - não há quase nada de aventura - mas traz diversão como há muito tempo Sonic estava devendo.

For the most part, Sonic Rivals pulls it together pretty well, but the game feels more like a mini-game than a fully fleshed out product. Overall, Sonic Rivals is unfortunately too short, and the concept is too simple, to hold the interest of most gamers for very long. The engine would definitely work really well in a proper 2.5D Sonic game... so hopefully we'll see something of the sort in the near future.

Why has it become so hard for Sega to make a decent Sonic game? Rivals beats the heck out of the Xbox 360 Sonic, but it doesn't even compare to the 16-bit Sonics that graced the Genesis so long ago. What's particularly heartbreaking is that Sega almost got it right this time! Rivals features vibrant, lush 3D stages, but wisely kept the action restricted to a 2D plane. In theory, this would allow for a "classic" style of play without compromising the graphic capabilities of the system. Unfortunately, Sega opted for a completely different approach, making each stage a break-neck "race to the finish" between two characters.

Sonic Rivals should delight the Sonic fans who felt that full 3D never did the series any justice or those who just have to desire to go back to Sonic's roots in a modern game. We like the 3D Sonic games, but why don't SEGA try and come up with something similar for the consoles under all our Tellies? And no we're not talking about ports of the earlier games on Xbox Live or the Virtual Console either.