VG Review - Sonic Colors

What do we say we take a look into another 3D Sonic game, hmm? Well, okay now! But first off, I just wanna tell you how I feel now: spontaneous! Sonic Adventure 1 was amazing, Sonic Adventure 2 improved, making it near-perfect, Sonic Heroes was decent at best, but had a fair share of problems, Shadow the Hedgehog is hilariously bad, but still has originality, and Sonic 06 can rot in Hell for all I care... Later on, Sonic Unleashed came out and my fanboyism returned, but except for the Werehog stages... Meh. Now for some more fun as I review Sonic Colors! Sonic Colors was released for the Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS on November 2010, with mostly positive reviews, but with small criticism targeted through the godawful level design and, to a lesser extent, unresponsiveness (somewhat.) To me, I think Sonic Colors just outdid things almost many other 3D Sonic games attempted, but that's not saying much... Where do I start? First off, the overall writing is amazing and well thought off, granted, it can, however, be laughable at times, but that gives the franchise its very own light... Great job, Happy Tree Friends writers! The friendship between Sonic and Tails is also a lot more fun to experience, since it was only halfway shown in previous titles and/or in other media... Yep, a storyline in a neat and creative game can do that! What I like about Colors is how it mixes side-scrolling and third-person perspectives together... At least, in the Wii version, since the Nintendo DS is largely based around side-scrolling action, anyway. The main aspect many players will find interesting for this game are the Wisp power-ups, which add advantages to Sonic based on background... They are eight in the Wii port, and six in the DS, but I won't tell you all about it since I fear it'll take time up for the full review! All of them are pretty useful, though... My favorites are the 'Purple Frenzy', 'Orange Rocket', and 'Green Hover'! Now graphically speaking, Colors looks F-U-C-K-I-N amazing. Even if the Wii has no HD resulotion due to limitations, I still say this looks fantastic... Especially the character models being so clear and not at all boring, for the most part! I'm also very amused at the music: again, Sonic music will never be dull or monotonous... Always a pleasure to see that, because even if Sonic 06 and Shadow the Hedgehog both blowed hard eggs, the in-game soundtrack was still pretty cool to listen to. What's so cool about Sonic Colors also is the return of the Spin Dash and Lightspeed Dash... Okay, granted, the diehard fanboy/fangirls won't like that Sonic, himself, doesn't have it, but be super happy it's in the game in a certain form, now! How cool is that??? Oh, wait! Colors also features the return of Sonic actually swimming... YES!! Well, he technically isn't swimming, but be glad he won't die unless he drowns. A nice note from the Genesis days, amirite!? But I also like this: Super Sonic in regular levels... ABOUT DAMN TIME, WOO-HOO!!!!!!!!!! Since Sonic Adventure 1, Sonic's super form has only been limited to final boss-only appearances, and it has been a great honor to see the return of the super incarnation back for regular stages. Even Sonic 4 had this event! What I don't particularly like about Colors overall are the 3D sections and piss-easy boss fights: The 3D sections are dishearting at times because of how fast Sonic goes in this game... Yet thankfully, it's been nerfed, according to fewer fans. But the boss fights are just, "OMG! Why the hell did I just finish that in only thirty seconds!?!? Sega, you trollin'!" No, I'm being serious... Where did Sega go with the neat boss battles in Sonic Unleashed, and then nerf the difficulty in Sonic Colors? They must've been in purgatory or somethin', I dunno :/ One thing I will take note on is the voice acting: Sega and Sonic Team decided last year to change almost all the 4Got voice actors and use the Studiopolis talent, instead... Don't get me wrong on 4Kids, they have some decent voice talent, but the whole company itself FAILS! Granted, the voice quality to me is stunning. Sonic is now voiced by Roger Craig Smith, who has been known for Chris Redfield from Resident Evil 5, Tails is now voiced by Kate Higgins, who has done a shitload of voice acting roles, some of which I do seem to pick up on well, and overall, this is argubably the best Tails voice I have heard. The only voice actor/actress that has been unchanged was Mike Pollock as Dr. Eggman/Robotnik, who has vastly improved since his debut... Nice goin', my man! All other characters have different voices as well, but if you really wanna know where to go, it's time to pull out the DS version. But even after all of what I just said, Sonic Colors is definitely a brilliant 3D title that Sonic Team managed to work on so boldly, wiiiiiith help from Dimps, that is. The game also comes together as a multiplayer section known as the 'Sonic Simulator', a multiplayer-only game mode that uses 16-bit arrangements of stage music... I.... think? You also control Sonic-modeled robots through various challenge, and on the way, you can unlock Miis for head parts, and scattered around levels are Special Rings, which are infested with "Chaos Emeralds" items... And after obtaining all of them, you have the option to finally play as Super Sonic during regular gameplay. So the final question remains: Is Sonic Colors the best 3D Sonic title since Sonic Adventure 2 to happen? It's a goddamn amazing installment, I'll give you that, but the true answer remains in one thing: Sonic Generations, baby! I'm giving' Colors a treatment it deserves as a 9.0 out of 10! Certainly a game I suggest you pick up, Wii or DS!

Pros

 * Strong and steady gameplay runs the race!
 * Amazing writing when it comes to dialogue
 * Sonic can finally swim again... YAY!!
 * The 2D sections are widely original, and can at times remind you of the Genesis days... For me, that is
 * Super Sonic playable in regular levels... AWESOOOOME!!!!!!!!!!!!
 * The voice acting is clever and the quality works... Just like Unleashed!
 * The addition of Wisps in gameplay was an amazing add-on, Sonic Team
 * The music... Oh, Jesus, the music!
 * Character models look fresher than ever

Cons

 * Boss fights can be way too easy
 * Some say the DS port isn't as lengthy... I might agree
 * The 3D sections can sometimes throw you off your A-game, but nothing too bad
 * Even with a game guide, those red coins are WAY too hard to find.