sonicteamUSA
Reviews
Sonic the Hedgehog (Xbox 360)
A game with many flaws and potential.
The Good
Story: The story in this game has been criticized for being too dramatic for a sonic game. But the writing, presentation, and C.G.I. movies make keep it from being a bore. In fact, the story has enough twists and surprises to keep you attached. It involves time travel, an ancient prophecy of the end of the world, and motivation. Also, for the first time, Sonic has the role of continually saving the princess of the game, Elise, from Doctor Eggman over and over. I think Sonic Team spent most of their time on this side of the game. All of your favorite characters are here, and they all have equally important roles.
Graphics: The graphics aren't the best on this type of platform, but that doesn't mean they aren't good, especially for a Sonic game. The graphics are clean and definitely have a lot of variation. You'll be seeing a beach level, a desert level, an ice level, a burning city in flames, a volcano level, an abandoned mine, a tropical jungle, an ancient forsaken valley, and an aquatic base. Character Animations are very smooth, especially in cutscenes. Though, I'm disappointed to find out that there aren't any cool special effects, such as, motion blur, advanced explosions, and dynamic lighting. But at least the graphics in this game won't cause anyone seizures from ridiculously vibrant effects, like Sonic Riders can. The physics in the game are also a nice next generation touch. Thanks to the Havok Physics Engine.
Music: The music in this game is some of the best music I've heard in a video game in a long time. This game features vocal theme songs, rock, electronica, orchestra, and even jazz. It seems as though the music composers, Tomoyo Ohtani and Mariko Nanba, spent a lot of effort to make sure their music was diverse and cultural. They sure did a lot of research with different tunes around the world to make sure each tune fits perfectly with the atmosphere. The music is probably the best part about this game. The soundtrack itself comes in 3 discs ( not including the vocals ). Now that's a lot of music for you.
The Bad
The load times in the game are pretty much unbearable. Not only do they last for 20 seconds, but they also appear very frequently during levels. Another good example of the atrocious load times are the town missions. I think you'd know what I mean there, since you can't read a Sonic the Hedgehog 360 review without seeing someone complain about that issue.
Not only are do the town missions have these long load times, but they themselves are repetitive, bland, and a complete waste of time. Especially for a Sonic game. Some missions include finding three children, walking a dog, jumping through hoops, or defeating enemies within a time limit. Can someone explain to me the point of doing this in a Sonic game. Sonic games are about going through action stages, not doing favors for people around a castle town. Why would Sonic Team put this in the game?!
Framerate: The framerate in the game, sadly doesn't run at a steady 60 frames per second. The game will consistently slow down in some of the worst places, especially when you're building up speed. It seems as though Sonic Team screwed up the framerate in this game due to using the Havok Physics Engine along with the Renderware Engine. Developers should stick to using one game engine per game.
The Bottom Line
I'd recommend this Sonic game to a sonic fan that is very forgiving. This game is for patient gamers, who don't have a problem with understanding and getting used to this games problems. Believe me, there are parts in this game that are impressive. Sonic Team has quite a handful of good ideas they put in this game. If only they didn't rush it, it could have been great. But overall, it's decent, despite it being only 70% finished. Sonic fans should at least rent it to see some memorable levels.
By sonicteamUSA on November 12th, 2007
Sonic Riders (GameCube)
As a racing game it's pretty decent, but as a sonic game it's a PURE insult.
The Good
Graphics: The graphical effects are eye bleeding and vibrant. The character models are well done. The game uses a lot of cool effects such as frame buffer effects, and motion blur.
Gameplay: The gameplay is actually really fun.... If you learn how to play it. Gliding through turbulence, gaining speed, doing multiple, fast tricks on ramps.
Music: Now the music in the game isn't that good. but it gets the job done. For a video game, the music is actually really decent. But for a sonic game, it's pathetic. Sonic games are supposed to have a wide variety of music such as rock, electronica, midi, orchestral. But this sonic game only has techno music. There isn't even that much music. There are 16 levels but only 8 songs for the levels. For example Metal City and Night Chase have the same song. But nonetheless, the music is still catchy and upbeat.
The Bad
Level Design: One of the most important things in a sonic game is level design. All of the 3D sonic games have had large, imaginative levels ranging from 14-31 levels. But this game doesn't even come close to that. Despite the game having 7 level designers, they didn't take advantage of the fact that they were making levels for a Sonic game!! The first few times you play the levels in this game, they're fun and fast. But the best part about playing sonic games is going through the levels over and over again.... right? But the levels in this game last only 30-45 seconds long. The levels themselves don't really have very imaginative designs. Most of them are just long stretches of flat road with no loop, or corkscrews!! Also some of the levels in the game have the same design as some others..... for example: Metal City and Night Chase are basically the same levels but one takes place in day and the other in night. Splash Canyon and Red Canyon one canyon takes place in day the other in sunset. Seriously, how lazy can you get? There are 16 levels in all. The levels aren't bad, it's just that for a sonic game, they aren't intuitive.
Story: Oh gosh, the story sucks so bad! First of all, there aren't even that many C.G.I. cutscenes, second the plot goes too fast and just feels plain stupid. The script in the game is also really, really bad. It seems they were aiming this game at little elementary kids. Definetly not suitable for a sonic game. Also, I dislike the Babylon Rogues ( A team of 3 generic rivals for Team Sonic ) They're so uninteresting. Jet the Hawk is just this stupid, generic rival for Sonic. Sonic already has more than enough rivals. He has shadow the hedgehog, eggman, metal sonic, and I guess knux. Also Jet the Hawks voice makes me cringe my ears. The other two members of the Babylon Rogues ( Wave and Storm ) well, they aren't as bad as Jet, but there purpose in the game was just worthless. It's a good thing these guys didn't appear in any of the other major 3d sonic games, or I would of gone mad!
The Bottom Line
Should you get Sonic Riders? Well if you have friends that are willing to be patient to learn the game mechanics in this game, then yes, you should get it. Believe me once you know how to play the game, it'll be alot of fun. But it has very low replay value. If you don't have any friends, then just buy it at a low price.
Game Developed By: Sonic Team UGA division (United Game Artists)
By sonicteamUSA on October 30th, 2007
Sonic the Hedgehog (PlayStation 3)
Don't be fooled by the reviews
The Good
I liked the level designs. The story was very well thought-out. The music was pretty catchy. The music aims less towards the electric guitars, and more towards a softer tone. The story in the game actually has a time travel situation where the characters in the game all go through time to find out info and change the future. It gets confusing, but I have not seen a more well thought-out story for a Sonic game since Sonic Adventure 2. The levels are what you would expect from a Sonic game. They do have a more dynamic approach here.
The Bad
What I did not like that Microsoft rushed Sonic Team to finish the game in time for a holiday release. Because of this, the game suffers from long loading times, framerate drops, and imprecise control. The loading in the game is long - 15 seconds at an average. They also appear frequently, especially during town missions. The slowdown usually occurs when you are hitting a robot. The control is sensitive, so you will have to practice with that. Also, the game has too many playable characters that have pathetic play mechanics. The only characters that stand out in the game are Sonic, Shadow, Silver, and Blaze. The others are slower and just make going through the levels a chore.
The Bottom Line
Just because the game received extremely bad press from reviewers, does not mean you should give the game the cold shoulder. Actually, all of the people that reviewed the game, like at IGN and Gamespot, were all adults. You see, adults like the old Sonic games. You know, the Genesis Sonic games. These reviewers cannot stand the fact that Sonic has a big cast of supporting characters, and so they pummel the game for being not Sonic. If you are a new Sonic fan, you will appreciate the game. If you are an old fan, you will probably despise it. Every Sonic fan should at least rent it. You will appreciate some memorable levels.
By sonicteamUSA on June 26th, 2007
Shadow the Hedgehog (GameCube)
an enhanced sonic game
The Good
What I liked was the imaginative level design, the special effects that I have never seen in a sonic game. I also liked the music, and the fact that it was made by most of the same members from sonic adventure 2.
The Bad
What I didn't like was the dumbed down textures, and the 2 Player mode which didn't allow you to race.
The Bottom Line
A sonic game with enchanced combat (guns) and a darker atmosphere.
By sonicteamUSA on June 8th, 2007