EverydayOtter
This is one of those games that is nearly perfect in every way. Throughout the entire playtime of the game I was constantly shocked, impressed, and surprised at all of the ways that this game innovated on the standard Mario formula to create something truly unique.
The visuals and audio quality are top notch, finally moving past the bland NSMB style into something more lively and animated, leaning more into its two dimensional cartoon roots. Expressive animations and facial expressions, a slick, fun UI, and beautiful environment designs and backgrounds make this game have one of the most well executed visual styles I have ever seen in a video game. The music as well is much of what you'd expect, but it uses a different suite of instruments than any game before to evolve Mario's sound to his new location.
I thought the unique Wonder Flower effects for many levels were a welcome way to shake up the formula, and many could have entire worlds of a game dedicated to expanding on their concepts. Similarly, the badges (although being more hit or miss), brought tons of depth to the gameplay, and could similarly carry an entire segment of a game on their backs alone. Levels are well paced, perfectly designed for multiplayer and single player, and almost all of them left me feeling good after playing them.
The post-game levels did get a bit challenging for my taste, especially the last of the bunch, taking me around 2 hours to finally nail, but I know this is a level of challenge many people enjoy. The rest of the game had perfect levels of difficulty in my opinion, even the much more challenging special world stages felt perfectly paced.
Expanding the playable character cast was also an amazing addition, and the newly introduced power-ups shake up the monotony of the previous NSMB games. I loved that when other players were Yoshis that you could ride on their back, and that Nabbit is available as an easy mode option, while having enough characters to not force one player to have to play easy mode (like New Super Luigi U, or NSMBU Deluxe).
Gosh, what else to say about this game? Other than play it, of course. This game is genuinely near perfect, and everything about it makes me smile, it's such a good-time and well designed game all around. Full marks.
The visuals and audio quality are top notch, finally moving past the bland NSMB style into something more lively and animated, leaning more into its two dimensional cartoon roots. Expressive animations and facial expressions, a slick, fun UI, and beautiful environment designs and backgrounds make this game have one of the most well executed visual styles I have ever seen in a video game. The music as well is much of what you'd expect, but it uses a different suite of instruments than any game before to evolve Mario's sound to his new location.
I thought the unique Wonder Flower effects for many levels were a welcome way to shake up the formula, and many could have entire worlds of a game dedicated to expanding on their concepts. Similarly, the badges (although being more hit or miss), brought tons of depth to the gameplay, and could similarly carry an entire segment of a game on their backs alone. Levels are well paced, perfectly designed for multiplayer and single player, and almost all of them left me feeling good after playing them.
The post-game levels did get a bit challenging for my taste, especially the last of the bunch, taking me around 2 hours to finally nail, but I know this is a level of challenge many people enjoy. The rest of the game had perfect levels of difficulty in my opinion, even the much more challenging special world stages felt perfectly paced.
Expanding the playable character cast was also an amazing addition, and the newly introduced power-ups shake up the monotony of the previous NSMB games. I loved that when other players were Yoshis that you could ride on their back, and that Nabbit is available as an easy mode option, while having enough characters to not force one player to have to play easy mode (like New Super Luigi U, or NSMBU Deluxe).
Gosh, what else to say about this game? Other than play it, of course. This game is genuinely near perfect, and everything about it makes me smile, it's such a good-time and well designed game all around. Full marks.
This is one of the most perfectly designed games of all time. Visuals, soundtrack, gameplay design, everything is perfect. If you haven't played this game before, please rectify your mistake.
The gameplay loop is extremely addicting and does a great job of having each tool you get helping to counter a new threat. The game behaves logically, and mostly without any reading necessary due to the design of each of the plants implying what they do.
I could talk about the creativity behind this concept, but I believe it is evident. The premise is simple but captivating, the character designs and environment designs are perfect, and the soundtrack is among the best in all of gaming.
Post-game, this has some of the most compelling content I could possibly imagine. The mini-games that are so fun and entertaining that I could play a whole game full of them, and the puzzle/survival modes extend the life even further in ways that aren't simply replaying the adventure mode.
Truly, a masterclass in game design, and something that I wish the modern studio that holds PopCap's name could ever hope to replicate. Do yourself a favor and play this game if you haven't already.
The gameplay loop is extremely addicting and does a great job of having each tool you get helping to counter a new threat. The game behaves logically, and mostly without any reading necessary due to the design of each of the plants implying what they do.
I could talk about the creativity behind this concept, but I believe it is evident. The premise is simple but captivating, the character designs and environment designs are perfect, and the soundtrack is among the best in all of gaming.
Post-game, this has some of the most compelling content I could possibly imagine. The mini-games that are so fun and entertaining that I could play a whole game full of them, and the puzzle/survival modes extend the life even further in ways that aren't simply replaying the adventure mode.
Truly, a masterclass in game design, and something that I wish the modern studio that holds PopCap's name could ever hope to replicate. Do yourself a favor and play this game if you haven't already.
This game has me very mixed on how I feel about it, and it's largely down to how difficult it was to get the 100% completion vs. how difficult it was to beat the game.
On its own, this game has great visuals, plays like a dream, has fun character archetypes, well balanced characters, and lots of fun concepts throughout. This game had a lot of heart put into it and I respect it a great deal. Some of the fights felt overwhelmingly challenging compared to other parts of the game, but that was limited to one or two encounters overall.
The real issue with this game for me comes down to some of the requirements in game to get 100%. Some of the levels have extremely low "par" turn counts to get the perfect rating, leading to hours of restarting levels and having to use guides to figure out how to begin with not getting my team wiped in one turn. The post-game ultimate challenges were all pains in the neck, every last one of them, and it made going for the last 10% of completion take nearly the length of the rest of the game.
If you plan on just playing the story and a few post-game things, then this score should be read as much higher, likely an 8, but if you're going for 100%, just know you'll be in for a good bit of tedium on top of what is ultimately still quite a good game.
On its own, this game has great visuals, plays like a dream, has fun character archetypes, well balanced characters, and lots of fun concepts throughout. This game had a lot of heart put into it and I respect it a great deal. Some of the fights felt overwhelmingly challenging compared to other parts of the game, but that was limited to one or two encounters overall.
The real issue with this game for me comes down to some of the requirements in game to get 100%. Some of the levels have extremely low "par" turn counts to get the perfect rating, leading to hours of restarting levels and having to use guides to figure out how to begin with not getting my team wiped in one turn. The post-game ultimate challenges were all pains in the neck, every last one of them, and it made going for the last 10% of completion take nearly the length of the rest of the game.
If you plan on just playing the story and a few post-game things, then this score should be read as much higher, likely an 8, but if you're going for 100%, just know you'll be in for a good bit of tedium on top of what is ultimately still quite a good game.
Honestly the Gen 1 Pokemon games are such historic games that it's difficult to critically look at them. If you've ever played them, you know that they're barely functioning game spaghetti, with so many exploits that it's harder not to run into a glitch than it is to do so.
As a Pokemon game, I think a lot of the important parts of the formula have already been nailed perfectly from the start. The base of the battle system, most of the Pokemon designs, the design of the region and progression are all very good for what is a first attempt, and one that pushes the GameBoy to its absolute limits. I have to commend the technical marvel that this game even works at all on the system.
This is, however, a VERY technically flawed game. Bugs and exploits persist throughout, Pokemon movesets are about as barebones as they could be, the types themselves are terribly imbalanced, a lot of the sprite art is very rough around the edges (although thankfully not NEARLY as bad as Red/Blue/Green, those games are atrocious), and the need for multiple games (in this case, both Red AND Blue are needed to complete this game's Pokedex) hold this game back from the heights this formula will go on to succeed at.
The story is light but gives the player a lot of agency, with some parts of the game being non-linear in progression, and the twist rival at the end must have shocked those kids back in 1998. The sprinkled lore about Mewtwo helps to add a tone of mystery, and places like Lavender town aren't afraid to go all in on unsettling tones. Also, for the first games in the series, the soundtrack has become iconic and that's for good reason.
I know this is just a long ramble about random parts of this game, but I think this is a great game for fans of the series to go back to, even if it isn't a good 'game' by today's standards. Probably play Red/Blue though, the rough edges are even more present and exploits make the game even more fun, plus you aren't saddled with a literal Pikachu as your starter.
As a Pokemon game, I think a lot of the important parts of the formula have already been nailed perfectly from the start. The base of the battle system, most of the Pokemon designs, the design of the region and progression are all very good for what is a first attempt, and one that pushes the GameBoy to its absolute limits. I have to commend the technical marvel that this game even works at all on the system.
This is, however, a VERY technically flawed game. Bugs and exploits persist throughout, Pokemon movesets are about as barebones as they could be, the types themselves are terribly imbalanced, a lot of the sprite art is very rough around the edges (although thankfully not NEARLY as bad as Red/Blue/Green, those games are atrocious), and the need for multiple games (in this case, both Red AND Blue are needed to complete this game's Pokedex) hold this game back from the heights this formula will go on to succeed at.
The story is light but gives the player a lot of agency, with some parts of the game being non-linear in progression, and the twist rival at the end must have shocked those kids back in 1998. The sprinkled lore about Mewtwo helps to add a tone of mystery, and places like Lavender town aren't afraid to go all in on unsettling tones. Also, for the first games in the series, the soundtrack has become iconic and that's for good reason.
I know this is just a long ramble about random parts of this game, but I think this is a great game for fans of the series to go back to, even if it isn't a good 'game' by today's standards. Probably play Red/Blue though, the rough edges are even more present and exploits make the game even more fun, plus you aren't saddled with a literal Pikachu as your starter.
Honestly there really isn't much to say about this game, it's kind of just solid overall. As somebody who never played the original version of this game as a kid, I have always heard people praise this as a great 3D platformer. Now having played this myself, I'm sure part of that opinion is just baked-in nostalgia, but it's not like this game is bad or even mediocre.
As a fan of the show, I feel like this game did a great job of capturing the aesthetic and spirit of the show. Committing to actual jokes in the cutscenes isn't something super common in licensed kids games, so I was glad to see an effort made there to bring this in line closer with the show.
The progression has slight elements of a 'collectathon', but largely I'd say this game acts mostly as a linear platformer, with solid, easily understood level design. The level themes blend together a bit, but that's down to all trying to maintain consistency with the show if I had to pin it on anything. Only a very small number of times was I ever frustrated with anything in this game, which is always a good sign. Still, not much stood out as really outstanding or creative in terms of game design. It really is the definition of a 7/10 game.
Also that Mr. Krabs voice actor!! Who let him in the booth!! Bro sounds like a random person off the street doing a pirate voice!!
As a fan of the show, I feel like this game did a great job of capturing the aesthetic and spirit of the show. Committing to actual jokes in the cutscenes isn't something super common in licensed kids games, so I was glad to see an effort made there to bring this in line closer with the show.
The progression has slight elements of a 'collectathon', but largely I'd say this game acts mostly as a linear platformer, with solid, easily understood level design. The level themes blend together a bit, but that's down to all trying to maintain consistency with the show if I had to pin it on anything. Only a very small number of times was I ever frustrated with anything in this game, which is always a good sign. Still, not much stood out as really outstanding or creative in terms of game design. It really is the definition of a 7/10 game.
Also that Mr. Krabs voice actor!! Who let him in the booth!! Bro sounds like a random person off the street doing a pirate voice!!
As somebody who has never played any amount of the Pokemon Trading Card game before, this game was a fun introduction to the world of the tcg!!
One of the things that stuck out as rougher was the overall production value. All character sprites are constantly in their walking animation, and there's no connection between the areas in the game, just a map. There's also no real sense of progression throughout the game, as I felt just as powerful after about 3 hours of the game as I did with 16.
Nonetheless, the core game here was fun. The art on the cards is expressive and lively, and actually playing the game had me very engaged with strategy and planning a good deck for each fight. I was pleasantly surprised with how engaged I was with this game throughout. I do wish that some of the animations (like pulling cards from the deck) could be skipped though.
Overall, this certainly isn't a perfect game, but it does make me wish that we had a modern Pokemon TCG game with modern day styling (that isn't a free-to-play pile of garbage), one that took the base concept of this game and made it a real, engaging GAME, just more fully featured overall.
In it's current state, this game is still a lot of fun though, and I would recommend it to anybody that can get past the outdated visuals and pacing.
One of the things that stuck out as rougher was the overall production value. All character sprites are constantly in their walking animation, and there's no connection between the areas in the game, just a map. There's also no real sense of progression throughout the game, as I felt just as powerful after about 3 hours of the game as I did with 16.
Nonetheless, the core game here was fun. The art on the cards is expressive and lively, and actually playing the game had me very engaged with strategy and planning a good deck for each fight. I was pleasantly surprised with how engaged I was with this game throughout. I do wish that some of the animations (like pulling cards from the deck) could be skipped though.
Overall, this certainly isn't a perfect game, but it does make me wish that we had a modern Pokemon TCG game with modern day styling (that isn't a free-to-play pile of garbage), one that took the base concept of this game and made it a real, engaging GAME, just more fully featured overall.
In it's current state, this game is still a lot of fun though, and I would recommend it to anybody that can get past the outdated visuals and pacing.
Honestly this is just a fantastic game all around. I know saying that about Nintendo games (most of the time) is like saying that grass is green, but this game really does go above and beyond what I could have expected of it.
As a 3D adaptation of the Kirby series, it performs a similar conversion to that of Super Mario 3D World's adaptation of Super Mario. The stages remain linear, with a focus on copy abilities, and Kirby controls largely the exact same as you would expect him to. The places where this game innovates on the Kirby formula are largely in theming, with the game taking a bold turn towards a dystopian art style (that still feels uniquely Kirby of course). The game's mouthful mode is also a new addition, although one that isn't a huge drawing feature in my opinion.
The game's level of difficulty is also insanely fair, with players having the option between difficulty at any point in the game, in addition to genuinely challenging post-game fights in the battle arena of the game. Some of the hidden objectives are difficult to sort out without the help of a guide, but there are plenty of good ones out there to help should you get in a tough spot. The bosses in this game are also very well designed, feeling like a proper fight rather than a waiting game to get a single hit in. Overall, just a very good level of difficulty where nothing felt overly long or challenging for no reason.
Going all the way for 100% was also a great time! Tons of the things that contribute to completion are simple side tasks in the Waddle-Dee village which give this game a very distinct charm. None took too long or were overly difficult, and it feels like this game truly respects the player and their time.
Also, the visuals are great and the audio is fun and catchy as always, no shock there!
Overall I was very impressed with the way this game adapted the series to the third dimension, as if it feels like the series has been this way for years. This is one of the best games that I've played in a long time, and I cannot recommend it enough.
As a 3D adaptation of the Kirby series, it performs a similar conversion to that of Super Mario 3D World's adaptation of Super Mario. The stages remain linear, with a focus on copy abilities, and Kirby controls largely the exact same as you would expect him to. The places where this game innovates on the Kirby formula are largely in theming, with the game taking a bold turn towards a dystopian art style (that still feels uniquely Kirby of course). The game's mouthful mode is also a new addition, although one that isn't a huge drawing feature in my opinion.
The game's level of difficulty is also insanely fair, with players having the option between difficulty at any point in the game, in addition to genuinely challenging post-game fights in the battle arena of the game. Some of the hidden objectives are difficult to sort out without the help of a guide, but there are plenty of good ones out there to help should you get in a tough spot. The bosses in this game are also very well designed, feeling like a proper fight rather than a waiting game to get a single hit in. Overall, just a very good level of difficulty where nothing felt overly long or challenging for no reason.
Going all the way for 100% was also a great time! Tons of the things that contribute to completion are simple side tasks in the Waddle-Dee village which give this game a very distinct charm. None took too long or were overly difficult, and it feels like this game truly respects the player and their time.
Also, the visuals are great and the audio is fun and catchy as always, no shock there!
Overall I was very impressed with the way this game adapted the series to the third dimension, as if it feels like the series has been this way for years. This is one of the best games that I've played in a long time, and I cannot recommend it enough.
2003
This is a very fun, pretty polished hidden gem from this series! The combat mechanics are very simple, but they utilize a very interesting special moves system where each stock you can block one of the three types of moves. The 3D arenas are also really cool for a GBA game, especially if playing it on a handheld like a GBA or 3DS where it won't look too chunky.
The story is pretty good too, as it's basically just "Sonic and Co. literally raise a child together". You can imagine pretty well how that goes, although it tying back into SA2's story with Gerald Robotnik and Shadow was pretty cool. Really goes to show how much SEGA was committing to the continuity of this series back in the day.
The main appeal of this game is customizing the robot playable character that the characters raise, Emerl. He has a super cool ability where you can equip him with moves from other characters you get from fighting those characters, where the only issue is that they don't drop enough. From what I've seen, it's nearly impossible to get all of the cards in a reasonable time, which is my main critique of the game. After trying (in vain) for about 2 hours to get anywhere in the Virtual Training mode for new cards, I just gave up and cheated them in because I have better things to do.
Overall though, really fun time that gets a solid recommendation for me! Good length, good difficulty, genuinely just a really fun, although not perfect, game.
The story is pretty good too, as it's basically just "Sonic and Co. literally raise a child together". You can imagine pretty well how that goes, although it tying back into SA2's story with Gerald Robotnik and Shadow was pretty cool. Really goes to show how much SEGA was committing to the continuity of this series back in the day.
The main appeal of this game is customizing the robot playable character that the characters raise, Emerl. He has a super cool ability where you can equip him with moves from other characters you get from fighting those characters, where the only issue is that they don't drop enough. From what I've seen, it's nearly impossible to get all of the cards in a reasonable time, which is my main critique of the game. After trying (in vain) for about 2 hours to get anywhere in the Virtual Training mode for new cards, I just gave up and cheated them in because I have better things to do.
Overall though, really fun time that gets a solid recommendation for me! Good length, good difficulty, genuinely just a really fun, although not perfect, game.
1999
This is a fun, simple pinball game! I think the main issue here is that a game like this is just too heavily dependent on RNG to have getting 100% be fun (the hitmonchan that took me 3 hours to get).
The actual pinball of this game is really fun though, just a good simple time that I can't argue with. I love the splitting into two tables and the bonus levels are fun and creative. This makes for a very good pick-up-and-play title, just not one to sit down with and play for a super long time.
The actual pinball of this game is really fun though, just a good simple time that I can't argue with. I love the splitting into two tables and the bonus levels are fun and creative. This makes for a very good pick-up-and-play title, just not one to sit down with and play for a super long time.
2023
This review contains spoilers
Immediately following the Sonic Frontiers DLC, I wasn't expecting this game to confuse my opinions even more on what this franchise is doing. I absolutely expected this game to be a rock solid 8/10. I feel like the best way to talk about my feelings while playing this game are chronologically, so here goes.
For the first 7 zones, I was really feeling this game. The opening zone is really strong with a great soundtrack, and the co-op is really fun. The design of these zones feel true to the classics and are pretty solid, and the feel of the characters and the look of the environments are pretty spot on. The cracks start to show a bit more as the game goes on, some of the zone themes are rather generic and don't do much to expand on the versions of those areas in the classic games, and some of the soundtrack has drastically lower quality than other parts. Once I finished the Press Factory Zone, I figured the game was winding down, which felt really good. Sure, it was a bit short, but the 'evil factory' area is naturally one of the last few and maybe would be followed by one last fortress or outerspace level.
What instead happened was a large drop in quality, the zone themes felt not fleshed out or repetitive, and the bosses got harder and more frustrating, many having ways of instantly killing the player and making them play through a 3+ minute boss fight all over again (this game has a MASSIVE boss design problem of making the player wait for an opportunity to hit after 30+ seconds of boss invulnerability). This all culminated with a pretty lame final boss that doesn't checkpoint you between the two phases, just to waste the player's time I guess.
Once beating the game, I unlocked Trip's Story, a new campaign starring this game's new playable character. This campaign is where I went from liking this game overall to dreading playing any more of it. Cheap, spike and enemy coated level design, bosses that take twice the length to beat as the already slow main story bosses, all capped off with one of the most time wasting, annoying bosses to ever come from this series (it took me roughly 6 hours to beat this boss, even though it only takes about 8 minutes to beat). Trip's story isn't worth your time unless you're a completionist, but it does unlock a perfectly fine Super Sonic final boss fight.
I hate to ramble so long, because I fear nobody will read this, but every time I play this game I think about how easy it would have been for this to be a smash hit. The bosses didn't have to be so long and cheap, Trip's story could have brought more to the table, the battle mode could be more interesting. There's so many areas where this game falls below expectations. The first half of the main story is truly a great time though. My main conclusion is to just play through that if you aren't a Sonic megafan.
For the first 7 zones, I was really feeling this game. The opening zone is really strong with a great soundtrack, and the co-op is really fun. The design of these zones feel true to the classics and are pretty solid, and the feel of the characters and the look of the environments are pretty spot on. The cracks start to show a bit more as the game goes on, some of the zone themes are rather generic and don't do much to expand on the versions of those areas in the classic games, and some of the soundtrack has drastically lower quality than other parts. Once I finished the Press Factory Zone, I figured the game was winding down, which felt really good. Sure, it was a bit short, but the 'evil factory' area is naturally one of the last few and maybe would be followed by one last fortress or outerspace level.
What instead happened was a large drop in quality, the zone themes felt not fleshed out or repetitive, and the bosses got harder and more frustrating, many having ways of instantly killing the player and making them play through a 3+ minute boss fight all over again (this game has a MASSIVE boss design problem of making the player wait for an opportunity to hit after 30+ seconds of boss invulnerability). This all culminated with a pretty lame final boss that doesn't checkpoint you between the two phases, just to waste the player's time I guess.
Once beating the game, I unlocked Trip's Story, a new campaign starring this game's new playable character. This campaign is where I went from liking this game overall to dreading playing any more of it. Cheap, spike and enemy coated level design, bosses that take twice the length to beat as the already slow main story bosses, all capped off with one of the most time wasting, annoying bosses to ever come from this series (it took me roughly 6 hours to beat this boss, even though it only takes about 8 minutes to beat). Trip's story isn't worth your time unless you're a completionist, but it does unlock a perfectly fine Super Sonic final boss fight.
I hate to ramble so long, because I fear nobody will read this, but every time I play this game I think about how easy it would have been for this to be a smash hit. The bosses didn't have to be so long and cheap, Trip's story could have brought more to the table, the battle mode could be more interesting. There's so many areas where this game falls below expectations. The first half of the main story is truly a great time though. My main conclusion is to just play through that if you aren't a Sonic megafan.
Whatever the opposite of rock solid is, that's how I would describe this game. The structure is perfectly fine, and the concept of a Sonic pinball game is a S-tier idea, but the execution is about as clunky as humanly possible.
The controls are near unplayable, jumps are impossible to make with how inconsistent the physics are, as is running for any specific distance. Some situations allow you to move Sonic in one way, but then when you enter a similar situation he behaves entirely differently. The game also performs terribly, at least in the Sonic Origins Plus emulation, which makes the game simultaneously look worse and also play more inconsistently.
Honestly, the only thing saving this game from a status as a complete train wreck is the admittedly impressive visuals for the Game Gear and the passable soundtrack. Just play anything else
The controls are near unplayable, jumps are impossible to make with how inconsistent the physics are, as is running for any specific distance. Some situations allow you to move Sonic in one way, but then when you enter a similar situation he behaves entirely differently. The game also performs terribly, at least in the Sonic Origins Plus emulation, which makes the game simultaneously look worse and also play more inconsistently.
Honestly, the only thing saving this game from a status as a complete train wreck is the admittedly impressive visuals for the Game Gear and the passable soundtrack. Just play anything else
2004
As the predecessor to Plants Vs. Zombies, this game lays a lot of the foundation for what makes that game fun, while also having its own unique identity. The premise, art, and overall tone are very fun and lighthearted, but the design of the levels can make even that feel very intense. The most frustrating part of this game is definitely some of the aliens, it feels nearly impossible to fend off certain types (psychosquids...), but the game does give you many resources to protect yourself with, and it's all about the choice in what resources you use that determines your play-style.
Past the main mode, the challenge mode to get the gold trophy is very tedious to complete unfortunately. Playing each level 8 times just wears on me personally. On the other hand, the included virtual tank option is a fantastic feature, giving the game life beyond its actual levels.
Overall, this is a very fun game, and I would recommend it, even despite its few flaws. (Also the playtime is from me leaving the virtual tank running, actually completing it doesn't take that long).
Past the main mode, the challenge mode to get the gold trophy is very tedious to complete unfortunately. Playing each level 8 times just wears on me personally. On the other hand, the included virtual tank option is a fantastic feature, giving the game life beyond its actual levels.
Overall, this is a very fun game, and I would recommend it, even despite its few flaws. (Also the playtime is from me leaving the virtual tank running, actually completing it doesn't take that long).
I genuinely don't think I've ever been as polarized about something that's come from this franchise. The fact that this update exists is a testament to the effort and good-will that Sonic Team is building with the community, and the final product is certainly quality if nothing else. The spectacle and expansion on the game's narrative and theming (and the soundtrack) are very much appreciated, and being able to play as these characters is a welcome return, especially considering that they're all relatively well fleshed out. The design though is just not something I can get behind. Difficulty, in its own right, can be a fun gameplay element, but it must be handled extremely delicately. This expansion, unfortunately, does not do this. While this game's controls are fun, they aren't precise or responsive enough to ask of the player what this game's challenges do. The massive difficulty spikes of the 5 towers that Sonic has to climb are unforgiving and defeating, and the additional cyberspace levels (particularly their optional objectives) teeter the line between being fun exploration and extremely tedious. Not to mention that both lack any checkpoints whatsoever. Overall, I'm very glad that we got this expansion (once again, especially for its soundtrack), but I hope that this level of difficulty isn't an indication for what is to come in this series' next title. It's just not fun.
The first game that I ever 100% completed! An absolute classic title. Rock solid level design, theming, and concepts. This is the game that 2D Mario needed to get back into everybody's minds.
2005
This game absolutely lived up to the things that I've heard about it. The art style is perfectly of-its-time while still feeling stylized enough to hold up quite well today. The characters, premise, and story are all very well done. The level design isn't absolutely perfect, but it's quite good and inventive. This is an absolutely fantastic game!