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So Sonic Colors DS...


TB100

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Now I hear a lot of talk regarding Sonic Colors Wii, but I hardly hear any talk regarding it's DS version.

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Now for those that aren't aware, Sonic Colors got a DS version that was released alongside the Wii version and it has since begun a long line of inferior console ports by Dimps, yes that Dimps, however, I know some people are going to disagree with me on this, (considering that dimps gets a lot of hatred these days.) but not only do I think this version is just as good as the Wii version and is a good Sonic game on it's own merits, but it's actually better in some aspects in my opinion. Let me explain why.

 

Tighter level design and flow, 

Now let's get this out of the way, Sonic Colors Wii while it's still a fun game, does tend to have a obsession with slow platforming sections, (there's entire acts dedicated to it.) Now while Colors DS does have these sections at times, they mainly take a back seat to the speedy breakneck gameplay that the Rush games are known for, and And while it is shorter then the Wii version, it cuts the pointless filler out and manages to keep a much tighter and smoother flow then the Wii version did. And not only that, but this game downplays a lot of the problems that the previous Rush games had like the bottomless pits, bad enemy placement and other shit, (Though they're still there and it definitely has it's moments.) All while switching the Rush moveset for a moveset that's more like the current games, such as the ground pound, the walljump and a actual fucking Homing attack (Yes he had one in the Rush games, but it was so badly designed that it is practically useless.) And let me tell you, while I don't hate Rush's controls, I find the unleashed/colors moveset to be a definite improvement over it. 

Sonic's friends are in the game and some actually get involved.

Now as we know, Sonic Colors Wii was a Sonic+Tails brofest, and while that's definitely not a bad thing in the least. (Colors Wii definitely had a lot more personality then the DS version in my opinion.) It does kinda feel a little bit odd that his friends aren't there, well fear not, because in the DS game, everyone is here, from Knuckles and Amy, to the chaotix, to team dark to Big to even Blaze and Silver, Why the fuck was Blaze and Silver here I have no clue? And this game also infamously brought back the Silaze shipping, which i'm admittedly not the most fond of. (I'm more of a Sonaze and Blazamy guy personally, and I don't ship sliver with anyone.) now luckily they are completely optional, (They're only in the missions.) so if you want it to strictly be a Sonic+Tails brofest like in the Wii Version, then you definitely can. However some characters do actually get involved, like for example there was one moment where Shadow, Omega, Sonic and Tails breaks into Eggman's base, and finds out the plans for a certain final boss, (Not revealing it because spoilers.) but of course like I said, all this is completely optional, so unless you want 100% completion, you can make this game a complete Sonic+Tails Brofest. (In fact you can completely go by the Wii versions beat by beat if you want to as the extra final boss is also completely optional.)

Chaos Emeralds are much easier to obtain then they were in the Wii version.

Now i'll be honest, i'm not a big fan on how you obtain them In the Wii version, basically you have to get every red in every level and then you have to compete every act in game land, and then you can get the chaos emerald, now this may not sound too bad, but you can't get every red ring on your first try. (You need certain wisps to get certain red rings, and you can't use these wisps until you get to a certain point in the game.) But luckily Colors DS makes it a lot easier to obtain them, just complete a stage with 50 rings and you can go to a special stage and boom chaos emerald, no backtracking, no playing through game land, (Though game land was a lot of fun.) Just complete the special stage and bam chaos emerald. (The seventh one is a pain in the ass to get though.) In fact let's get into them shall we, because they're only in the DS version.

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So it's obvious on what it is, another fucking half pipe, but unlike the other half pipe special stages, this one actually does something new, so here's the idea, there are three colored spheres in the special stages, red, orange and blue, and you have to get a certain color to move on, but there are two things to note, #1 there's laps, basically you get red spheres in one lap, and once you get those spheres, you have to then get the blue ones which are a bit harder to get. And then you have to get the orange spheres which are pretty hard to get, now here's the thing, you can't hit the other spheres while you're getting that certain color sphere, because if you do, they'll fly out of the stage and make it much harder to get the correct amount to pass. Now while I am sick to death with the halfpipe special stages, these actually do a unique job with it, and they are actually pretty fun. Plus the goddamn music.

This music is undoubtedly catchy and upbeat. Now of course Colors DS uses most of the Wii's soundtrack, and while they don't have the grand scale of the Wii's version, it still sounds good. (Though the Wii's soundtrack is objectively the better of the two.) But of course, while the Wii's chaos emeralds are harder to obtain, the reward is a lot better then the DS game. Because DS doesn't have a playable Super Sonic. But of course as with Dimps tradition, the chaos emeralds are used only for the extra final boss. Speaking of which. 

The extra final boss

Spoiler

So this is something unique to the DS version as well, because we always have to have a Super Sonic boss fight, and that is Nega Mother Wisp

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A giant wisp that's the mother of all the Wisps that has been corrupted by Eggman's nega wisp energy, and now if you collected all seven of the chaos emeralds, you can fight this thing as Super Sonic to save it, now honestly I don't care about this boss, and It was definitely added in just so we can have another typical Super Sonic fight, which the Wii version didn't have. (And it's better for it in my opinion.) But hey it's here so that's cool. I guess???? I think a better placement personally would be before terminal velocity and the last confrontation with Eggman, not only would it make more sense in the context of the story, but it'll retain the cinematic aspect of terminal velocity and Eggman's fight. But that's just me.

Now there are some aspects that I didn't get into like the normal bosses. (Which I think the Wii version shits on completely.) And the Red rings. (They just unlock art and music.) But I think I covered all the basics, so my thoughts, not only do I think this is a great Sonic port that is actually up there with Colors Wii, (Unlike Generations and Lost World,) but it's definitely one of Sonic's underrated gems in my opinion. So now I want to know, what do you think of Colors DS? Do you think it's up there with the Wii version in terms of overall quality? Or do you see it as just another inferior handheld port ala Generations and Lost World or whatever?

 

Comment away!!!

 

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I really liked it, but did find it overall unmemorable.  The other characters being shoehorned in just felt kind of forced.  The added final boss was kind of awkward, and the reduced length of the game definitely made it feel like it was quickly thrown together.  The way they use that ONE song for almost every cut-scene was maddening.  And I hated how Planet Wisp was just a total drill-fest, completely destroyed the personality of that level.  Asteroid Coaster also had a LOT of cheap instant-reaction moments.

But OVERALL it was good inoffensive fun, and the special stages are my favourite in the entire series.  I can't sing their praises enough they're so much fun and I've love to see the concept expanded since only the 6th and 7th ones at all challenge me.

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I was disappointed by the removal of the trick system from Rush; it gave you something to do during dead time spent flying through the air or grinding, and indeed main series games would shortly (around the same time?) reintroduce air tricks at certain moments as well, so it felt like a fairly counterintuitive step back in gameplay terms.

I quite appreciated the use of the secondary characters in the missions, personally.  For one thing, it helped to give the missions more individual character by using Sonic's friends to provide some background and additional subplots, and I also felt that it was a suitable compromise between fans who wanted to see them and developers who didn't want to make them playable.  ...Also on the topic of missions, I'm grateful that the designers were selective and designed just a few missions specially, rather than throwing in a literal hundred generic missions like they did in Rush Adventure and Generations 3DS.

...And that's about all I even remember of Colours DS; in the long run I've found it to be a fairly forgettable game.

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I actually played Colours DS before the Wii version, but still prefer the Wii version by far. I feel like a lot of the visual flair and design (and even moreso the music) was severely lost in the DS translation, and while it had plenty of unique level gimmicks and varied level design in places, it just didn't feel like it was as properly made as either the Wii version or Rush Adventure. For me as well was that I had wanted a Rush 3 for ages after Rush Adventure which I loved, so Colours DS was very bittersweet.

Strangely, I found Aquarium Park to be the best level in both versions of the game. Asteroid Coaster in the DS version was absolutely horrible though. I hated going through that place but enjoyed the Wii version of it a lot when I played it a couple of months later.

Overall, it's definitely a good game, but really forgettable and has so much competition with regards to 2D Sonic games, even other Dimps games, and the Wii version as well, that it just gets lost in the mix.

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Forgettable.

The Wii version has worse level design in my opinion, but what DS has is... Boring. The game is too short, no trick gimmick, slow Homing Attack, and Burst Wisp is annoying.

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I feel one of the biggest issues with my overall enjoyment is the visuals just aren't... good.  Everything looks VERY flat and washed out, there's no real "proper" pixel art charm or love in any of it.  Even stuff like the act start intro screens are like, trying to be stylish but not quite hitting the mark.  Just another one of those things I felt was a signposting to a very quick for-the-sake-of-it development.

It's just a shame because the Wii version was SO vibrant and gorgeous in terms of art direction.

 

Also just a small nitpick but the true final boss music was really lame.  They should have made the visuals just a bit more dramatic rather than upbeat, and used the full version (as oppose to the DS' abridged version which gets to the point faster) Nega Wisp Armor Phase 2 for that battle, which is barely heard in the DS version, and instead used the Super Sonic theme from the Wii version for the final colour blaster moment in the Nega Wisp Armor fight.

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I don't own a Wii or Wii U anymore, so I've never actually played the Wii version of the game. I however do own a copy of the DS version and thought it was pretty fun. I'd have to say that my favorite part of the game is honestly the soundtrack. I still haven't got around to actually completing the game though...

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  • 1 year later...

Colors DS is like the reverse Unleashed treatment where the main recent console version is superior and the other ones are inferior. Colors DS is  much better of a game in terms of design, gameplay and mechanics. The biggest misstep in Colors Wii is dumbing down and re-arranging the groundwork of Unleashed, rather building upon it more(which is a problem even til this day). Colors DS is fluid like a Sonic game should be, specifically how the level design is structured allow the player to breath.

But the biggest improvement are the wisp. Implanted almost exactly as they should have been in the first place. Not too obsessively attached to Sonic but not to far away from him where they can't be used in interesting ways.  

Technical things aside like the graphics, sound design etc; This is a really good game to me. 

Sonic Colors Wii should have been this and not that Mario imitation.

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It was okay, might be best of Rush games gameplay wise (1 was too hard, second had sailing). Still, I don't go back to it too often.

Shame they removed Blaze. I know,  she wasn't playable in Wii. So what? How hard would be to copy-paste her from previous Rush games? Make her unlockable if story won't fit.

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I must say that I absolutely loved the Rush series even though I'm a big sucker for the classic Sonic gameplay. To me Rush in 3D would be like Unleashed and the classics closer to the Adventure series. I was super into getting Colors since the Rush series really positively impacted me, but I never got to finish Colors DS. For some reason I got really fed up with Wisps and their controls, I mean to the point they really annoyed me. I think I should give this game another try some time. 

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I haven't played Colours DS, but I kinda like the way they used the characters in this. It feels oddly out of place in this game for EVERYONE to be at the amusement park though.

I always felt like that kind of usage where all the characters are there and active, if not directly involved with what Sonic/the player is doing, would have made much more sense for a game like Sonic Unleashed.

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