Sonic Colours Review topic

[Detective Shadzter]

GameReactor gives the Wii version a 7/10.

Video review:

http://www.gamereactor.eu/news/5708/Sonic+Colours+video+review/

Written review:

http://www.gamereactor.eu/reviews/5409/Sonic+Colours/

[jonathan]

Hey Shad, wasn't that already up? Anywho, according to GamesTM their new issue is out which includes the Sonic Colors review. If anyone can scan it that would be greatly be appreciated

[Detective Shadzter]

Hey Shad, wasn't that already up? Anywho, according to GamesTM their new issue is out which includes the Sonic Colors review. If anyone can scan it that would be greatly be appreciated

GameReactor has only posted their review today, so it can't have already been up. I too would like to see the GamesTM review.

EDIT:

Just checked. Yes, the written review was already posted and it appears they've only just posted the video version of the review today. Silly GameReactor

[jonathan]

N-Europe's review is out: Final Verdict:

Sega proves that they still have what it takes to make a Sonic title that feels fun, fresh and quite frankly fantastic, here's hoping that they can replicate this success in the future.

8/10

Oh, I like the concluding paragraph: "For what it offers in terms of sheer fun Sonic Colours succeeds where some of the previous modern incarnations have partly failed; here many successful elements from many past Sonic games and even from other platform titles have been taken, added into the game then refined while adding new elements that complement the existing core gameplay elements. The result is simply sublime and should be used as the template for the series from this point forward, it may have taken Sega ages but this is one Sonic title that they can genuinely be proud of; with this plus the brilliant Sonic 4 it would seem that 2010 is definitely the year of the hedgehog."

P.s yes it goes on Metacrtic, not yet added however. Gamestm and this review are still awaiting recognition.

And seems like Cheat Code Central has awarded it a 4.2/5

And RealGamer an 8/10

Edited December 2, 2010 by jonathan

[Doctor MK]

The Wiiviewer's review is up:

He say BUY!

[Gamerguy21]

Realgamer gives it an 8/10.

And yes, before anyone asks, this score has been added to Metacritic.

EDIT: Wait, it appears I've been beaten to this review by jonathan's edit.

Edited December 2, 2010 by gamerguy21

[jonathan]

The Onion A.V. Club has given it a B+. It goes on metacritic but not on gamerankings.

[Carbo]

Yahtzee mentions in his latest review that he was going to review the game since it was off on a good start but then got plagued by cutscene bullshit.

He does mention in his credits blurb that it's much better than Unleashed, although in his case that's not really saying much.

Edited December 3, 2010 by Carbo

[jonathan]

Well Ill take that as a positive from Yahtzee.

[Buntar0]

Yahtzee mentions in his latest review that he was going to review the game since it was off on a good start but then got plagued by cutscene bullshit.

He does mention in his credits blurb that it's much better than Unleashed, although in his case that's not really saying much.

Apparently he also said "For what it's worth Sonic Colors is better then Sonic Unleashed, but then so is pushing a rusty spoon right through the palm of your hand."

I don't quite understand how cutscenes could be an issue. Colours has the least amount of cutscenes since the series went 3D. They are not relevant to the gameplay in any way, can be skipped and don't pop up during stages, so they can't ruin that much of the game. At worst they can be considered wasted effort on part of the developer, skippable by the press of two buttons. I mean, I hate (no hyperbole here) the main characters of games like Devil May Cry, God Hand or Viewtiful Joe, and I got my fun out of all of their games by making heavy use of the cutscene skipping option or the mute button.

And now for something different:

I think most reviewers rating the game around 8/10 is a realistic best case scenario.

With the current gaming tastes and the series' reputation (though that shouldn't be a factor at all though, judge every on its own merits I'd say), Colours couldn't have gotten much better scores.

[Blue Blood]

I think most reviewers rating the game around 8/10 is a realistic best case scenario.

With the current gaming tastes and the series' reputation (though that shouldn't be a factor at all though, judge every on its own merits I'd say), Colours couldn't have gotten much better scores.

It could have done if it was a better game.

[Scar]

It could have done if it was a better game.

This is true.

However, its a really good start. I can pretty much gurantee that this game wouldn't have gotten much higher than a 9.5 with most mainstream reveiwers, even if it had been much better.

They still have the bitter taste of Werehog and Swords in their mouths.

We just have to hope things get better from here so that all the crap can be put behind us for good.

I had a revelation the other night. Sonic games have a really hard time being difficult or challenging to most experienced gamers.

Why? Mario can easily ramp up the difficulty no problem.

Well there is a number of factors. If Sonic goes the Mario route; i.e making the challenge getting past bottonless pits, then people complain about them, calling them cheap and unfair and frustrating. If they add more enemies to add challenge, then people complain about cheap enemy placement, which is frustrating and unfair. If they increase the number of spikes and hazards, then its cheap object placement. If they add challenging gimmicks, then its considered cheap level design.

And get this; if the game is too easy, then people complain that it was too short and unsatisfying.

Its a catch-22, either Sonic Team lose or they lose.

Seriously, if all those things are cheap simply because Sonic is fast, then in what way can they increase difficulty "Fairly"

I have no problem with bottomless pits or cheap enemies; they are a legitimate method of ramping up the difficulty in later stages. OK its understandable if there are bottomless pits in the first couple stages, or if they abuse the bottomless pits by having the stage be floating over one giant bottomless pit (like most other platformers, Mario included), but seriously, it ain't that bad

Edited December 3, 2010 by Scar

[Sega DogTagz]

I had a revelation the other night. Sonic games have a really hard time being difficult or challenging to most experienced gamers.

Why? Mario can easily ramp up the difficulty no problem.

Well there is a number of factors. If Sonic goes the Mario route; i.e making the challenge getting past bottonless pits, then people complain about them, calling them cheap and unfair and frustrating. If they add more enemies to add challenge, then people complain about cheap enemy placement, which is frustrating and unfair. If they increase the number of spikes and hazards, then its cheap object placement. If they add challenging gimmicks, then its considered cheap level design.

And get this; if the game is too easy, then people complain that it was too short and unsatisfying.

Its a catch-22, either Sonic Team lose or they lose.

Seriously, if all those things are cheap simply because Sonic is fast, then in what way can they increase difficulty "Fairly"

I have no problem with bottomless pits or cheap enemies; they are a legitimate method of ramping up the difficulty in later stages. OK its understandable if there are bottomless pits in the first couple stages, or if they abuse the bottomless pits by having the stage be floating over one giant bottomless pit (like most other platformers, Mario included), but seriously, it ain't that bad

I like what Unleashed(HD) did about this. While nothing south of Eggmanland can be considered hard, Sonic Team replaced the hardcore difficulty with the speedrunning thrills. Its something the series has been known for for years, and it can scratch the itch of people looking for a higher plane of challenges. The Hotdog missions were also novel ideas, because they were innocent filler that made the simple stages a bit more daunting with a time limit. Sonic is all about being cool, so half the battle is getting to the finish line in style. Maxing out your speed and blowing through Shamar or Adabat for the perfect run takes a bit more effort than anything Mario can throw my way.

Edited December 3, 2010 by Sega DogTagz

[Vec]

I just got a wierd bug at Metacritic...It still says 77/100...but it's based in one critic...and the only critic online is Nintendo Power

[Blue Blood]

That's just cause MetaCritic isn't working properly tonight.

[jonathan]

I suppose nobody has gamestm's latest issue? It would be awesome to get some scans of their Sonic colors review.

GameZone gave Sonic colors an 8/10.

"Sonic Colors is a blast from start to finish. It’s a shame that the game doesn’t last much longer, but it does more things right than it does wrong. The level design is intricate and a perfect fit for the Sonic universe. The visuals are stunning and provide some of the best eye candy on the Wii. The power-ups add to the experience rather than take away from it like previous gimmicks in the series. Even the game’s cutscenes are fun to watch. This is easily the best Sonic game to come along in years. Let’s hope Sega and Sonic Team can take the remarkable formula they used with Sonic Colors and push it forward in future games."

Seems like most critics think the game is an 8/10. I concur.

Edited December 4, 2010 by jonathan

[Emmett L. Brown]

When you think about it, a high seventy on aggregate scores can easily be interpreted as "Almost nothing but 8s" which is pretty darn good.

[jonathan]

Yeah it is. I'm actually shocked that a 3D Sonic Team made game is actually receiving such positive reception. It's right around where sonic Rush Adventure was in terms of aggregate scores.

DS-x2: 8.8 out of 10

Fragland:70 out of 100

Edited December 4, 2010 by jonathan

[Detective Shadzter]

Nintendo World Report gives the DS version a 6/10:

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/24513

[Vec]

Several days passed and for me it still says that the 77 the game has is based in one critic (Nintendo Power)

[Gamerguy21]

Several days passed and for me it still says that the 77 the game has is based in one critic (Nintendo Power)

The Metacritic staff is still trying to work on fixing this issue. In fact, they put this up on the main page:

We are currently working to resolve a site issue that is preventing individual critic reviews from displaying on our pages. Thank you for your patience while we work to restore those reviews as quickly as possible. During this time you may see some temporary fluctuations in Metascores.

Keep in mind that Sonic Colors isn't the only game affected by this.

[jonathan]

7.6/10-- Digital chumps, wii version

[the blu blur]

one of the Nintendo World Report writers had this to say:

While I personally don't like posting impressions before my review, I'll make an exception for Sonic Colors Wii. I am really enjoying this title, more than I expected even. Despite hearing the good impressions and reviews, I was very cautious as I am with Sonic games. Right out of the gate, Sonic Colors impressed me. Not only is the stage design breathtakingly beautiful, the gameplay is very fun. It's basically all of the day time stages in Unleashed all rolled into one.

Regarding the problem with running and dying, I've haven't had this problem with the Wii version. What happens is that the minute you are close to an enemy the target automatically locks on, so you just jump and hit the enemy, preventing a death. Sure at times it happens but from my experience, it was mainly because I wasn't careful or was too distracted. There's also the Wisps that attack many enemies at once, and there is nothing more satisfying than running very fast through a horde of enemies and killing them all in one swift move.

it seems we may just have a positive upswing for the Wii version when it gets reviewed.

[speedduelist]

I think some reviewers aren't admitting that this game isn't the day time stages of unleashed (A.K.A all about speed running and quick reactions and speed boosting). sonic has momentum platforming like the classics and this game and some reviewers praise the game as if it was all about speed boosting.

But I accept their opinion any ways.

[jonathan]

"The Blue Blur Returns"

Gameshark give Wii version a B+

"There’s a whole lot of competition in the platforming genre on the Wii. Both 2D (Kirby’s Epic Yarn, Donkey Kong Country Returns, New Super Mario Bros. Wii) and 3D (the Mario Galaxy series) games are plentiful, and represent the very best in all of modern gaming. While it does lack some of the polish of Nintendo’s best, Sonic Colors is very, very good and offers enough truly unique features to sit at the table and hold its own. Welcome back, Sonic – we’ve missed you."

Oh and 411mania give it a 8.5

Edited December 7, 2010 by jonathan