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»Sonic Rush Adventure
"Crikey! It’s a Sonic sequel that's actually good!"
The original Sonic Rush still ranks among my favorite games for the DS, mostly because of how it harkened back to the good ol’ days when Sonic
games were just about collecting giant floating golden rings, running
through incredible locales at supersonic speeds, and foiling the evil
(albeit one-dimensional) schemes of a rotund mad scientist with a
seemingly inexhaustible supply of incredible robotic minions and
elaborate weapons of mass destruction. When I heard about a sequel, I
was elated. Then I heard Sonic Team would be heading it up, that there
would be some tacked-on Jetski mode, and that it would cram another
one-dimensional character into the blue blur’s already bloated cast of
characters (not to mention one that looked incredibly similar to an
early character). Then I actually played the game, and all my fears
were put to rest.
The
story starts out simply enough. One day, Tails’ radar picks up a
strange energy signature, so he and Sonic take to the skies in their
biplane, the Tornado, and decide to investigate. What they find is a
giant cyclone out at sea, and before you know it, our two heroes have
been sucked into the storm. When they regain consciousness, they find
themselves on a strange island, and in the company of the latest
addition to Sonic’s menagerie of mammalian (among other creatures)
mates: Marine the Raccoon, a feisty young lass - make that "sheila" - who sports a bonza
Aussie accent...despite her lack of voice acting. So, the three
decide to band together and explore the nearby islands, in search of a
way home (or in Marine’s case, for the sake of adventure). But what new
enemies and old friends await Sonic and co. on this adventure?
For
the most part, the gameplay’s been left unchanged compared to the
original Rush. Each stage still features two acts of classic Sonic
action with breakneck speeds, numerous twists and turns, and secret
routes, as well as a fairly unorthodox (at least by classic Sonic game
standards) boss fight to round out each stage. The ranking system from
the original returns, offering characters ranks (ranging from “C” to
“S”) based on the time taken, the number of rings (by the end of the
stage) and the tricks performed in the stage. Of course, this time, the
ranks have a more tangible this time around: depending on the stage,
there are certain elements that can be collected, and the higher one’s
rank, the more materials they earn. Classy, no?
At the same time however, there are some major differences. For
example, moving from stage-to-stage has been changed from a simple map
system to...well, a more complex map system. As opposed to simply
unlocking new stages by completing the old ones, SRA
forces players to seek out the next area, by exploring in one of four
possible seafaring vessels, each with their own advantages and
disadvantages.
There’s the Jetski, which is the fastest of the four, but lacks any
attack power and is unable to travel long distances. That one’s
available from the start, but the other ships must be built by
collecting certain amounts of those aforementioned materials. These
ships include the sailboat, a seafaring vessel with a full artillery,
but also with some trouble navigating through shallow and icy areas;
the Hovercraft, armed with a plasma cannon; and the Submarine, which is
able to travel almost anywhere, but is probably the hardest to control.
Each ship has its own control set, but they’re all controlled via the
touch screen.
The
Chaos and Sol Emeralds return for this installment, but the method to
obtaining them has changed. While in the original Rush, both sets of
emeralds were found in the various special stages (and the set obtained depended on whether
one was playing as Sonic or Blaze), there are two different methods to
this madness this time around. The Chaos Emeralds are obtained through
a series of races, pitting Sonic against Captain Whiskers’ right-hand
man, the shark-faced speed demon Johnny. Sure, it sounds pretty simple,
but there are a few catches: the race takes place on the Wave Cyclone,
Johnny starts off with an amazing speed boost, and there are several
obstacles between you and one of those seven luminous gems.
The Sol Emeralds are obtained through missions. Yes, that’s right,
mission-based gameplay. There are 100 in all, but seven of them offer a
Sol Emerald as a reward. Sure, in those cases, they’re either a
run-through of a completed level in a single life or a revamped version
of an earlier boss battle. The other missions, on the other hand, offer
less rewards, but involve more challenge, such as performing 30 tricks
on a certain stage in 30 seconds, finding a medal hidden in a certain
stage, or collecting 100 rings in as many seconds. Sure, the rewards
are a little less necessary (or tangible, for that matter), but it’s a
nice little addition to the core gameplay all the same.
Some of those rewards are odd little additional tweaks to Windmill Village,
Marine’s hometown and the gang’s base of operations throughout the
game. Things like a giant statue depicting the sapphire speedster, a
flower bed or even a small flag. It’s not really anything important,
but it’s still a nice little touch. The way players make their way
around the island is also a little odd: it’s a combination of a typical
map system and a small, RPG-style environment for each area of the
island. Better yet, players can choose to move with either the D-Pad or
with the touch screen.
The
in-game graphics are pretty much the same as before, everything’s still
got that 2.5D look to it – with modeled graphics, but a two-dimensional
view – and it still looks good, despite my constant jeering over the
DS’s 3D graphical capabilities. Of course, SRA decides to put more of
an emphasis on 3D over 2D this time around. For example, there are
fully-rendered cinematics at various points in the game – which I find
a little odd, due to the game’s scarse voice acting. Another difference
would be that, while Sonic Rush’s cutscenes depicted the characters in a traditional 2D fashion, SRA
elects for a style that appears to be a 2D-rendering of some 3D models.
All-in-all, it looks pretty good, though I would have preferred a
similar mixture of traditional 2D and 3D, like in the original.
Unfortunately, the sound quality’s a little down from the original Rush. I guess that’s to be expected: Rush had the incomparable Hideki Naganuma (of Jet Set Radio fame) at its helm, and only a few of his tracks have been carried over from the original. That’s not to say Adventure’s
soundtrack is bad, per se, in fact it’s quite good. Teruhiko Nakagawa’s
work does retain much of the original’s style, with its funk and
hip-hop influence, but I’m afraid I just prefer the first game’s
soundtrack. As for the sound effects, they're almost completely
unchanged from the first game. Literally. Seriously, most of the voice samples
(aside from those from the new characters) were lifted directly from
the original, and there’s no real difference in the basic sound
effects.
The
replay value has definitely been improved over the original. Sure,
there’s still the same old obligatory “real ending” stage that
manifests when all of the Emeralds have been collected and the
multiplayer mode returns again, but there are a few other additions.
For example, there’s Time Attack mode, which is pretty much what one
would expect – a mode that allows player to replay previously completed
stages and try to get the lowest time possible, as well as those
aforementioned missions, which definitely offer their own twists to the
gameplay.
Overall, Sonic Rush Adventure
retains much of the charm of its predecessor, while adding its own
elements to the game. These changes may deter from the breakneck pace
of the original, but I personally think they add a nice additional
layer to the gameplay that doesn’t feel like the filler commonly
associated with most of the recent Sonic games. Of course, that’s just my opinion, but if you enjoyed Rush, at least try out Sonic Rush Adventure. Who knows? You just might like it. I know I did.
Article by: Wolfdogg
Posted on: Oct. 7th, 2007 |
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Review Recap |
| Gameplay |
| Sure, the game’s not pure old-school Sonic goodness like the original, but the additions are pretty enjoyable for the most part. |
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Graphics |
| Everything looks vibrant, and the DS finally proves to me that it can handle 3D. |
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Sound |
| The soundtrack isn’t quite up to par with the original’s, but the sound effects are pretty much the same. |
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Replay Value |
| The multiplayer mode’s still a bust, but with 100 missions, time trials and hidden stages, this game’s bound to keep players busy. |
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