Sonic Spinball

"Not Your Typical Sonic Game"

As Sonic The Hedgehog's popularity grows, a spin-off game based on Sonic The Hedgehog is bound to be created. Sonic Spinball is one of the spin-off game created based on Sonic The Hedgehog character. While the idea and the concept of the game is refreshing, the gameplay turned to be not that exciting. Having said that, it does not mean that Sonic Spinball is a bad game. Sonic Spinball is probably just a game that needs a little bit of time to master. Here is the lowdown of Sonic Spinball:

Graphic: 10/10
As in other Sonic The Hedgehog game, the graphic looks fabulous as usual. Sonic is drawn very well with detailed animation. His movement is awesome as usual. The game background is also looks good. Every maze of the giant pinball fortress is drawn with incredible details. The enemies are also superbly drawn. They look mean and nasty. The graphic department is delivering the graphic performance as usual.

Sound: 7/10
The sound in this game is average at best. The sound effect is good. Every time Sonic hits an enemy, you can hear the sound of the enemy explosion loud and clear. It is the music that sounds a little bit dull. Although the music sounds clear, it does not offer an interesting tune. Overall, despite an average sound, it does not affect the game enjoyment.

Control: 8/10
The control in this game is quite good. The three buttons will act differently according the situation. If Sonic is standing still, pressing any of the three buttons will make Sonic jumps. During the pinball action, A button will control the left pinball bouncer. The C button will control the right pinball bouncer and the B button will control both pinball bouncer. The control scheme is quite easy to learn.

Story: 8/10
The story in this game is very simple. Sonic will face his long time nemesis Dr. Robotnik once again. This time Sonic will have to go through Robotnik's giant pinball fortress in order to find hidden chaos emerald and beat Dr. Robotnik. To make matter worst, Sonic has to go through this giant pinball fortress alone and he has to act as a ball to one big giant pinball machine. Not a bad idea for a story although it is not a very spectacular one.

Gameplay: 7/10
This is the little drawback of Sonic Spinball. While controlling Sonic during the normal phase is easy, controlling Sonic during the pinball action can be a pain in the neck. It takes a while to get a grip to control Sonic during the pinball action. Patience is also required in this game because the possibilities of slipping and falling down to the bottom is quite a lot. But, as in the previous Sonic game, patience is required to master the game.

Overall: 7/10
Sonic Spinball is quite good and addictive game. It has a good graphic, good sound, and good control. But the gameplay required patience in order to master. If you have patience, go buy Sonic Spinball. If you do not have patience, go rent Sonic Spinball or go buy Sonic Spinball and learn to be patience.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 07/14/06