A little less than a year ago, I made similar mini-reviews of classic Sonic games (from the very first part to Sonic R). Now I will very briefly evaluate the games released for sixth generation consoles.
1. Sonic Adventure (1999) – the first truly 3D game in the series. The most successful game for the SEGA Dreamcast console. I first played it on Dream, but then I bought a disc for GameCube, and then I bought the game on Xbox Live, PSN and Steam. The game itself is quite varied. Six campaigns for different characters will not let you get bored. We still have the same errands for Sonic. Run errands for Tails too, but race with Sonic. For Knuckles – the search for fragments of the Master Emerald. For Amy – escape from the teapot robot. Two new characters were also introduced into the game. This is Big the Cat and the E-102 Gamma robot. Gameplay for Gamma is a fun, but crooked shoot-em-up. For Big – fucking fishing. By the way, the campaign for Big is the only one that is bad. Game controls are mediocre. The camera is just terrible. But they don’t interfere with enjoying the game, especially since you can get jaded with the controls. The open world and the search for upgrades on it are also a little annoying, but this is a minor thing. Versions for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC on Steam, only available in 4:3 ratio. And if you set the settings to 16:9, then purple stripes will cut the image on the sides. On PC this disease can be avoided, but then you have to dance with a tambourine. Also, bakers will be in trouble if they don’t have a gamepad. By the way, the Game Cube version can also be run in 16:9, but for this you need a Nintendo Wii and the program that is needed in the console for dancing with a tambourine. My rating for the game is amazing. It’s corny because I’m nostalgic for the times when I had a Dreamcast.
2. Sonic Shuffle (2000) – I won’t describe it for a long time. It’s a boring Mario Party clone. It will only be fun to play with four people, and even then this pleasure is very dubious. By the way, the game was only released on Dreamcast. Rating: passable.
3. Sonic Adventure 2 (2001) – I’ll say right away, this is the best Sonic game ever. It is not as well known here in Russia, because it has not been released on PC in the past decade, like the first part. Instead of six campaigns, we have only two, for Heroes and for Villains. Each campaign has three characters. For Heroes it’s Sonic, Tails and Knuckles. For Villains, this is Eggman, and two new characters, Shadow the Hedgehog, and Rouge the Bat. The gameplay for Sonic and Shadow is already known to everyone. Except that the controls are now convenient (the best in the series), and the camera doesn’t get in the way. Gameplay for Tails and Eggman is an improved gameplay for Gamma from SA1. Gameplay for Knuckles and Rouge – search for fragments of the Master Emerald, or Chaos Emeralds, or keys. But here the gameplay got worse for some reasons that I won’t say, I’d rather review the game. The bosses here are cool, but almost all of them are easy (the penultimate one is just DIIIIIIIY difficult, and the final one is incredibly epic). The plot of the game is excellent (the best in the series). In addition to the Dreamcast, the game was released on the Game Cube. And in 2012, an HD re-release was released for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. All three versions are no different (even the price tag seems to be about the same), they all have the same graphics and run at 1080p and 60fps (even on PS3). Keyboard controls are terrible. Buy a gamepad, or buy a game for the console. Rating: Amazing.
4. Sonic Advance (2001) – portable game https://lakepalacecasino.co.uk/ for Game Boy Advance. The gameplay is classic, but the character designs are taken from SA1 and SA2. The game has four characters, Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Amy. It’s fun to play for everyone, because everyone has their own unique skill. There’s simply nothing to complain about, and I don’t want to. Rating: Amazing.
5. Sonic Advance 2 (2003) – briefly. Improved Sonic Advance. Instead of Amy, we have a new character – the rabbit Cream. Rating: Amazing.
6. Sonic Pinball Party (2003) – briefly. Boring pinball (again) for Game Boy Advance. Rating: passable.
7. Sonic Battle (2004) – massive (up to four people) fight for Game Boy Advence. The game is very fun, but has problems with the camera and hit-detection. The story in the game is cool and fun to watch. The variety of characters is nice. Rating: commendable.
8. Sonic Heroes (2004) – a large-caliber game about Sonic. It was originally released on Game Cube, PlayStation 2 and Xbox. But in the same 2004, a PC version was also released. I’ll tell you right away. Versions for PC and PlayStation 2 are buggy. Play the versions for Xbox (they have the highest quality videos and sound) and Game Cube, you will only save your nerves. It’s quite fun to play, but the camera can ruin the raspberries. The game has a bad story and four campaigns. Heroes – Sonic, Tails and Knuckles. Dark Team – Shadow, Rouge and newcomer to the series, robot E-123 "Omega". Rose Team – Amy, Big (not him) and Cream. And we got back the Chaotix from Knuckles Chaotix. By the way, the difficulty of the game is slightly above average. Rating: commendable.
9. Sonic Advance 3 (2004) – the last game in the series for the Game Boy Advance. This is still the same gorgeous Sonic Advance 2, but in addition to the four from the second part, they returned Amy from the first. You can also choose a hero before each new mission, and choose a partner who will run with him. By the way, your partner will often help, and will not be a burden (like Tails in Sonic 2 and 3 on Mega Drive). Rating: Amazing.
10. Shadow te Hedgehog (2005) – solo game about Shadow. In the game we are offered to either be a hero (help the military, Sonic and other good guys), neutrals (just run through the level and not help anyone), and even a villain (help Eggman and the new bastard Black Doom). This will lead you to one of 10 endings, but only the secret 11th ending will be true. The game was released only on consoles (PS2, Game Cube, Xbox). The game is full of bugs, the controls are not the most convenient, and the feature with the firearm is not very convenient. Plus the game is quite easy (well, for me). Despite all these disadvantages and dull level design, I liked the game. On the plus side, I can note the new voice acting of Sonic and Shadow. If previously Sonic was voiced by Ryan Drummond, and Shadow by David Humphrey, now they are both voiced by Jason Griffith. And he coped with his job with a bang. Best voice acting for these two characters ever. Game rating: commendable.
11. Sonic Rush (2005) – portable game for Nintendo DS. The game is two-dimensional. A new ability has appeared – Boost. It really adds dynamism to the game. In addition to Sonic, you will also be able to play as a newcomer, Blaze the Cat. She’s cool as a character. The game is quite difficult by the way. There are special stages for Sonic, where the capabilities of the lower DS screen are used. The bosses here are interesting, but difficult. Overall the game is pretty fun. Rating: commendable.
12. Sonic Riders (2006) – racing game for PS2, Xbox, Game Cube and PC. Don’t play on PC, the reason is the controls. The races take place on flying boards, straight out of the movie "Back to the Future 2". The game has poor graphics, and the controls (especially on the pitch) will take some getting used to. But the racing is pretty fun. By the way, three new characters were added: Hawk Jet, Swallow Wave and Albatross Storm. They are united into one team – the Babylonians. In general, the game is cool, but can get boring towards the end of the game. Rating: commendable.
And that’s all. Next comes the era of the seventh generation of consoles. The era of the dominance of the logic of the publisher represented by SEGA and the false jaw of Takashi Iizuka (head of Sonic Team) over common sense.