Mario and Sonic: Wonderstars: Part 1 A Mid Miracle
Finally, after a decade, Sega releases a new Episode in the Sonic 4 saga! Easily the best episode in the game!
Sonic Superstars is a game that exists, it is a game that I played and consumed. But honestly? I am kinda disappointed. From my last review I was tired of the franchise as a whole, I wanted to take a long sleep/break from new content of the franchise and blissfully reminisce about the better past. If was tired then I have insomnia now.
I am sorry people, as a person who has reviewed all the major Classic Sonic games on my account and as a Sonic fan, this game was mid sadly. This is the bare minimum, we are in was is possibly one of the most packed months in gaming with the Plumber launching his new wonderful game in a few days and Insomiac dropping the first PS5 game meanwhile Sonic is just, slacking. I knew it wasn’t gonna match up to those but I at least expected something as least as good as Mania, and I got the most game of all time.
I wasn’t really hyped for Superstars when it was announced, Naota Oshima being back was a nice surprise I suppose but the company (Arzest) wasn’t making me impressed at all with any of the new things they cooked in this game, it all felt like slob to me. Nothing I can say is PEAK nor I can i see is bad which is what most sonic is blah blah blah we get the point I’m old and out of touch and Sonic bad we get it, but in truth, Superstars isn’t bad, it’s not good either.
When the game leaked and people started playing it myself including, I was completely baffled by both sides of the debate, the mindless Twitter drones yelling “PEAK PEAK” and getting pissed at 7/10’s, fine scores for this game, meanwhile the other crowd calling the game one of the worst Sonic games. And yet at the same time, I sorta understood, it was weird but Superstars to me, is what Sonic 4 Episode 2 is. A game that I played and exists.
I don’t want to do a Super in depth look like I did with previous games where I go through all the zones and shit for reasons I’ll get into, but Superstars is exactly what you expect when “New 2.5D Classic Sonic game” comes into you’re head, maybe in 2013 that would be somewhat cool, but we are in 2023. We’ve seen this done so many times and a lot better, it’s not far off from Mega Man 11 but 11 is one of the best entires in the series with tight design despite the double gear system being similar to what this game introduces, but Superstars doesn’t really do anything more worthy both good and bad, it’s kinda just meh.
I really don’t know what to start with this game, there’s no real strong positives or things that really stick out for me as genuinely awful. Superstars is competent but doesn’t aspire to be anything more.
The story is fine, but they drop everything it sets up so abruptly it’s kinda funny. The level design, is fine but then it nose dives into quality so hard. There were no levels that made go “FUCK YEAH THIS SHIT WAS FIRE 🔥 🔥🔥” or “HOLY SHIT THIS WAS GARBAGE 💩💩💩” the themes are fine, they are not great by any means but they look colourful and vibrant enough, it’s enough to be new but not enough to be great. And the gimmicks range from fine to midly annoying and aren’t as fun as anything from the original games. Stages don’t have a clear philosophy or goal like other games and feel cobbled together, especially with how secrets are handled especially since there’s no Elemental shields. A lot of them are just, out in the open, there’s no challenge to find the special stage rings. Speaking of, the Special Stages in this game are fine, they feel kinda weird, in a game where the physics are on point but here they feel stilted and awkward, they’re all the same level of challenge, kinda annoying.
The music is both PEAK and MID, they’re really inconsistent, as they use different sound fonts. The steller Mania and the poundshop Sonia 4 sound font are both used, the compositions are not bad and there are some bangers, but there are just some tracks that do not sound good at all.
The characters, play fantastic, Sonic, Tails, Knuckles all play like they did in Mania and feels so fun to play and Amy while they’re still having trouble to finding her footing as the 4th member of Team Sonic is fun in this game, and Trip (I’m not even gonna bother spoiling this review it’s not worth it) is a worthwhile wild card addition to the game.
The Emerald Powers are awful, they feel either overpowered or superfluous and don’t add much to the game, which is bad because this is the big thing about the game, the big selling point and it’s just kinda meh. This isn’t like the Wisps, Wonder flower or the Double Gear system where it fundamentally changes the game and how you approach it thus enhancing it, it’s kinda just there but thank god some of them are insanely over powered because good lord the bosses.
This is the one of the only things that does Superstars poorly. the bosses are so abysmally bad and boring that it’s insulting, too much waiting, stop and go and don’t feel satisfying to fight or even cheese with the Emerald Powers, the final few bosses especially pissed me the fuck off.
As I near to this ramble ass review about an old 17 year old boy ranting about a blue hedgehog game I really wonder to myself, Sonic Superstars has nothing apart from supposedly mediocre Co-op and is laughably priced as much as Tears if the Kingdom here (£70!). Everything it attempts has been done better by other better games, a retro revival with new fun twists? Mania has you covered, A game with fun Co-op? the Rivals games and the new SA1 Online mod , 2.5D Graphics? Generations runs literal circles around it with how it’s uses it and aesthetically. A game that has a new twist and enhances the experience? Advance 3. All of these games aren’t perfect to varying degrees, but all of them have something, Superstars doesn’t. It’s a game hindered by it’s gimmicks such as with multiplayer that it leads to a worse experience. But in spite it all, it’s game that I don’t really hate? I had some fun with it but it’s really not a game that I want to go back to, the only 2D games that is worse than this in my opinion is Chaotix, Sonic 4 Episode 1 and Advance 2.
Say what you want about the series, but the series 2D offerings are some of the best in the business, right up there with Mario and Mega Man. They are consistent, fun, exciting, thrilling, exhilarating and always offer something new, to the point where the surpass Mario and Mega Man in some cases due to their series stagnation at points, each 2D game evolved the formula in a natural and compelling way, even games I don’t love as much like CD, Mania and Colours DS at least have that special sauce that made those games, special! CD has its incredible aesthetics, Mania had that nostalgia and twist factor and DS has the Wisps and such. Superstars only aspires to be an unambitious 2D Sonic game, the same games that Mario and Mega Man ran into and have over come and I hope Sonic does to, unless, safe to say my fail safe for the widely inconsistent franchise, will cease. Anyway, I am still tired, I desperately want to go to sleep, but my insomnia is still present, a shame…
Finally, after a decade, Sega releases a new Episode in the Sonic 4 saga! Easily the best episode in the game!
Sonic Superstars is a game that exists, it is a game that I played and consumed. But honestly? I am kinda disappointed. From my last review I was tired of the franchise as a whole, I wanted to take a long sleep/break from new content of the franchise and blissfully reminisce about the better past. If was tired then I have insomnia now.
I am sorry people, as a person who has reviewed all the major Classic Sonic games on my account and as a Sonic fan, this game was mid sadly. This is the bare minimum, we are in was is possibly one of the most packed months in gaming with the Plumber launching his new wonderful game in a few days and Insomiac dropping the first PS5 game meanwhile Sonic is just, slacking. I knew it wasn’t gonna match up to those but I at least expected something as least as good as Mania, and I got the most game of all time.
I wasn’t really hyped for Superstars when it was announced, Naota Oshima being back was a nice surprise I suppose but the company (Arzest) wasn’t making me impressed at all with any of the new things they cooked in this game, it all felt like slob to me. Nothing I can say is PEAK nor I can i see is bad which is what most sonic is blah blah blah we get the point I’m old and out of touch and Sonic bad we get it, but in truth, Superstars isn’t bad, it’s not good either.
When the game leaked and people started playing it myself including, I was completely baffled by both sides of the debate, the mindless Twitter drones yelling “PEAK PEAK” and getting pissed at 7/10’s, fine scores for this game, meanwhile the other crowd calling the game one of the worst Sonic games. And yet at the same time, I sorta understood, it was weird but Superstars to me, is what Sonic 4 Episode 2 is. A game that I played and exists.
I don’t want to do a Super in depth look like I did with previous games where I go through all the zones and shit for reasons I’ll get into, but Superstars is exactly what you expect when “New 2.5D Classic Sonic game” comes into you’re head, maybe in 2013 that would be somewhat cool, but we are in 2023. We’ve seen this done so many times and a lot better, it’s not far off from Mega Man 11 but 11 is one of the best entires in the series with tight design despite the double gear system being similar to what this game introduces, but Superstars doesn’t really do anything more worthy both good and bad, it’s kinda just meh.
I really don’t know what to start with this game, there’s no real strong positives or things that really stick out for me as genuinely awful. Superstars is competent but doesn’t aspire to be anything more.
The story is fine, but they drop everything it sets up so abruptly it’s kinda funny. The level design, is fine but then it nose dives into quality so hard. There were no levels that made go “FUCK YEAH THIS SHIT WAS FIRE 🔥 🔥🔥” or “HOLY SHIT THIS WAS GARBAGE 💩💩💩” the themes are fine, they are not great by any means but they look colourful and vibrant enough, it’s enough to be new but not enough to be great. And the gimmicks range from fine to midly annoying and aren’t as fun as anything from the original games. Stages don’t have a clear philosophy or goal like other games and feel cobbled together, especially with how secrets are handled especially since there’s no Elemental shields. A lot of them are just, out in the open, there’s no challenge to find the special stage rings. Speaking of, the Special Stages in this game are fine, they feel kinda weird, in a game where the physics are on point but here they feel stilted and awkward, they’re all the same level of challenge, kinda annoying.
The music is both PEAK and MID, they’re really inconsistent, as they use different sound fonts. The steller Mania and the poundshop Sonia 4 sound font are both used, the compositions are not bad and there are some bangers, but there are just some tracks that do not sound good at all.
The characters, play fantastic, Sonic, Tails, Knuckles all play like they did in Mania and feels so fun to play and Amy while they’re still having trouble to finding her footing as the 4th member of Team Sonic is fun in this game, and Trip (I’m not even gonna bother spoiling this review it’s not worth it) is a worthwhile wild card addition to the game.
The Emerald Powers are awful, they feel either overpowered or superfluous and don’t add much to the game, which is bad because this is the big thing about the game, the big selling point and it’s just kinda meh. This isn’t like the Wisps, Wonder flower or the Double Gear system where it fundamentally changes the game and how you approach it thus enhancing it, it’s kinda just there but thank god some of them are insanely over powered because good lord the bosses.
This is the one of the only things that does Superstars poorly. the bosses are so abysmally bad and boring that it’s insulting, too much waiting, stop and go and don’t feel satisfying to fight or even cheese with the Emerald Powers, the final few bosses especially pissed me the fuck off.
As I near to this ramble ass review about an old 17 year old boy ranting about a blue hedgehog game I really wonder to myself, Sonic Superstars has nothing apart from supposedly mediocre Co-op and is laughably priced as much as Tears if the Kingdom here (£70!). Everything it attempts has been done better by other better games, a retro revival with new fun twists? Mania has you covered, A game with fun Co-op? the Rivals games and the new SA1 Online mod , 2.5D Graphics? Generations runs literal circles around it with how it’s uses it and aesthetically. A game that has a new twist and enhances the experience? Advance 3. All of these games aren’t perfect to varying degrees, but all of them have something, Superstars doesn’t. It’s a game hindered by it’s gimmicks such as with multiplayer that it leads to a worse experience. But in spite it all, it’s game that I don’t really hate? I had some fun with it but it’s really not a game that I want to go back to, the only 2D games that is worse than this in my opinion is Chaotix, Sonic 4 Episode 1 and Advance 2.
Say what you want about the series, but the series 2D offerings are some of the best in the business, right up there with Mario and Mega Man. They are consistent, fun, exciting, thrilling, exhilarating and always offer something new, to the point where the surpass Mario and Mega Man in some cases due to their series stagnation at points, each 2D game evolved the formula in a natural and compelling way, even games I don’t love as much like CD, Mania and Colours DS at least have that special sauce that made those games, special! CD has its incredible aesthetics, Mania had that nostalgia and twist factor and DS has the Wisps and such. Superstars only aspires to be an unambitious 2D Sonic game, the same games that Mario and Mega Man ran into and have over come and I hope Sonic does to, unless, safe to say my fail safe for the widely inconsistent franchise, will cease. Anyway, I am still tired, I desperately want to go to sleep, but my insomnia is still present, a shame…
3 Comments
It leaked early, that’s how I played it
Oh right
NOWITSREYNTIME17
6 months ago