Sonic Championship

"I never expected to see Sonic the Hedgehog beating up Amy Rose..."

The first time I heard about Sonic the Fighters, or Sonic Championship as it was called in the USA, I first thought it was a joke. A fighting game with Sonic the hedgehog? Impossible. Sonic is too nice and friendly to participate in a fighting contest. But I was wrong...

This game takes place after Sonic & Knuckles on the Sega Genesis. The Death Egg was destroyed, and now Dr Robotnik is back again with his second Death Egg and is about to conquer the world once again. But, there is as always a ray of hope. The strongest fighter in a fighting contest will challenge Robotnik in a real *fight* in its proper meaning, and there are eight characters participating in the fighting contest. These are Sonic the Hedgehog, Tails, Knuckles, Amy Rose, Espio the chameleon (From Knuckles Chaotix), Fang the Sniper (more known as Nack the weasel), Bark the Polarbear (brand new character) and Bean the Dynamite Duck (from Dynamite Dux, a Sega arcade game from the early 90's). Every character have their unique moves. Knuckles has for example his gliding knuckle attack, Tails could grab his opponent and throw him into the ground, Amy has her Piko Piko hammer etc. And that's how it all begins...

Graphic - 10 points
This game was made in 1996, while the 3D graphic was under great development. To be a 3D fighting game from 1996, the game is very nicely made, the characters move smoothly and the backgrounds are great made as well.

Sound - 10 points
Each character has its own music track, and the music is is perfectly suiting, making the game very thrilling. Knuckles has for example a fast musictrack, pretty calypso inspired, while Tails has a slower melody, very suiting for a young fox boy. The sound effects are literally ''smashing'', the bell which is ringing at K.O, the sound effects of lost rings etc. Just great!

Control - 9 points
As with any arcade fighting game, you control your fighter with the control stick, and you fight with four buttons. Executing special attacks is often done more by luck than skill. Your character is reacting smoothly and quickly. No greater problems here.

Challenge - 8 points
The challenge is perfect as it is. Not too easy, not too hard. Learning the control may be a bit difficult at first, but you quickly get a hold of it. Only by pressing the buttons as quick as you can, could be enough to reach pretty far in the game. I have been able to complete the game without losing any continue, but that was pretty rough, as the game gets harder later on in the game.

Fun Factor - 11 points
WARNING! This game is addicting!! This is a game you would want to play over and over again. As I wrote in the tagline, I wouldn't ever expect to see Sonic the Hedgehog beating up Amy Rose (even though you hurt the one you love), and the special attacks are very unique in this game, you won't see these attacks in any other fighting game. The game offers a bit of humor as well, as the characters often have funny face expressions when they are beaten, or as they are thrown into a wall. Bark the polarbear could play bowling (!) with his opponents, Amy could drop a 16-ton weight on an opponent, Espio could grab his opponent with his tongue (!!!) and smash him around. And there is much more to explore...

This game was only available at very few arcade halls all over the world, but if you search long enough, you may found the game online. This game is certainly worth to check out. This game is a *must play* for any fan of Sonic the Hedgehog, but should be enjoyable by anyone else as well.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 04/18/04