"Sonic Shuffle 'A La Mode, anyone?"

Okay. I don't know why people hate this game. I've been reading reviews and noticed that Sonic Shuffle got some bad comments. How in the world could a Sonic game be that awful? I just couldn't believe it. However, I've been a Sonic otaku (as a friend of mine called me) for a while and rented the game. The minute I started playing it, I fell in love with it (even though I had no idea what I was doing).

First off: the story. MaginaryWorld was one minute the best place to be in a dream and the next, Void decided that MaginaryWorld was a little too good. So, he decided to shatter the Precioustone made of people's dreams. Illumina, the Goddess of Dreams, became prisoner in another world the minute that happened. Lumina Flowlight, however, isn't gonna take this, so she calls Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy to give her a hand to get the pieces of the Precioustone. I've been thinking that the plot was ripped off from the Sailor Moon SuperS series.

Next, info about the game. You start off on a board from one of the earlier Sonic zones (Emerald Coast, FireBird, Nature Zone, Riot Train, and 4th Dimension). You can chose if you want Lumina to tell you how things would go at the beginning. As soon as the game starts, you pick a card from the deck and go the number of spaces. If you pick a ''S'' card, you have the choice to choose from 1 to 7 spaces, exchange cards, or steal cards . Get the Eggman card and things would get ugly for you. You can also collect some stone to annoy other players or give yourself an advantage. There are also mini games (you should know what these are), mini events (kinda like cutscenes), and battles (where you fight a monster by picking a higher card than your enemy). You main purpose is to get the Precioustones. There will be 7 in all. If you have 1st place, you'll move on to the next stage. If not, it's back to square one.

Versus mode is really cool. Versus mode is just like story mode, except there are duels (which are kinda like battles, except you have to pick a bunch of cards to win) and a really spiffy mini game at the start to decide the playing order.

Now, my opinions.

GRAPHICS: 10
The characters look really cute (almost like the artwork on the box) and the boards look great. The animation kinda looks like a cross from the Sonic cartoon and Tenchi in Tokyo. They're not as good as Sonic Adventure or Sonic Championship, but it's good nonetheless...

SOUND: 10
The music's great! It really fits the mood of the game. I just love the FireBird music. It reminds me of Ryo-Ohki (Don't know why). As for the voices, they're cool. I'm guessing the same voice actors from SA did 'em. Great job for once again giving me sound that's pleasing for the ears, Sega! ^_^

GAMEPLAY: 9.8
This is the part where everyone hated. Well, I loved it. Sooner or later, you'll get better at this game if you really try. The mini games are tons of fun! I really like the one where you have to pick a soda and if you picked the one that's been shook up by Eggman, you lose. Even those I lost that one the first time I played it, I laughed so hard that I thought I was watching a Sonic the Hedgehog version of Tenchi Universe. The battles were easy, and most were tough...until I got to the last Precioustone. My only complaint was that I find that the computer always know what card to pick and ends up picking one of mine. (Translation: The computer cheats a lot.) Other than that, it's great.

CONTROL: 9.9
Good and simple control. The only complaint in this area is that at the mini games, the control gets a little tight at times.

OVERALL: 9.9
Extremely enjoyable. If you like games like this, get it. Even though I never played Mario Party, this was a lot of fun. I don't know why people hate this. I still play it and I usually have a lot of fun and sometimes get a laugh out of it while playing! However, if you're one of those picky people, you may wanna rent this.

BUY OR RENT: Either one. If you're like me, chances are you'll ''fall in love with it''.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 01/31/01, Updated 12/26/02