"Easily one of the worst Sonic games ever."

I've been a Sonic fan for a long time. When I was just a toddler, I watched my brother blaze through Green Hill Zone, Starlight Zone, and the many other various landscapes of Sonic the Hedgehog. When I was three, he gave me the job of being Tails, which, boring as it was, let me ask as if I was really playing through Sonic 3 and Knuckles. Those games held a certain magic to them. They showed how Sonic blazed through levels to the beat of awesome music and fun, unique bosses. In addition, you could activate quite possibly the greatest thing to ever grace gaming: Burning through entire levels as an unstoppable Super Sonic. Practically nothing can compare to the sheer enjoyment of going almost too fast for the system to keep up with you.

I'm sad to say that Sonic Rush couldn't even come close to the games in it's past. I'm even willing to say that it's downright one of the worst Sonic games ever. The gameplay is bland, the music is uninspiring, the levels are poorly designed, bosses are a bore, and the action just isn't there.

Graphics: 8/10

No real problems here. The camera is too zoomed out for my tastes, but it works.

Gameplay: 2/10

One key thing to note from the Sega Genesis Sonic games is the amount of control your character has. Whether you're using the ultra-fast Super Sonic or the slower and more unorthodox Tails, the controls are smooth and straight-forward: run fast with D-pad, jump with the buttons. Various combos or variations existed, such as spin dashes and gliding (with Knuckles), but everything was easy to do.

Such is not the case with Sonic Rush. The basic controls are still there from the older games, but they don't work as well. Sonic's jump is too short and hard to control, making the numerous sections where precise jumping is necessary into needlessly difficult areas. The running is simple, but becomes harder because of poor level design. Also added is a strange "boost" move, where Sonic temporarily speeds up, sort of a built-in speed boost. While this is fun, the game's levels and camera really take away from the whole feeling of speed present in the Genesis games. You'll often start running fast and then BAM! You hit a wall. It sucks the adrenaline right out. Of course, most of the control's problems have to do with another nail in this game's coffin: poor level design.

Level Design: 0/10.

The creators of the older Sonic games knew that the games had to be fast, but they couldn't just make it all running. It would get very old, very fast. As such, the creators put in platforming sections that felt natural, as if they were meant to be there.

In Sonic Rush, the levels are haphazardly constructed with needless stops and roadblocks. Bottomless chasms lurk everywhere, especially in areas where it makes little sense. For example, in the second level, you must clear a large bottomless chasm by speeding up and then jumping off a ramp. However, if you use the boosts right before or are just hitting it too fast, you'll actually fall short of the ledge and die. What's the point of a Sonic game when you can't even run fast without needlessly dying? Furthermore, most of the levels follow Sonic Advance 2's formula of "hold down right." This is easily most of the game right here, and it's really fun for about the first level or so. The magic's gone after that. Furthermore, many times you'll come to random obstacles that stand to do nothing but slow you down. Why do I go racing down a ramp with huge speed, only to have to stop, slowly push a big block across the ground up to a wall, and use it as a stepping stone? It's just inconceivable that something like that would even be in a Sonic game. Again, what's the point of a Sonic game without speed? It really feels like the game had the speed parts designed first and then had some random traps randomly mixed in to try and make the game less bland, with meager results.

Sound: 0/10.

Ask any Sonic fan about their favorite music from Sonic 3 and Knuckles, and they can probably name the level and act that it plays in. My personal favorite would be the music played during the last level of Sonic 3 and Knuckles, "The Doomsday Zone." I've actually memorized the score, as well as pretty much every other song from the Sonic games of old.

Now I must ask, "What happened to those iconic beats? The songs that actually stick with you, that you can hum the tune of after playing it?" Simply put, the amazing tracks of the Genesis Sonic games have been replaced by bland techno-pop-like stuff. It's uninspiring and dull, and even though I've beat the entire game, I can't recall a single song from the whole game. It's been years since I played Sonic 1, yet I can hum the music from the "Starlight Zone" as if I raced through it yesterday. Sonic Rush just can't compete.

Bosses: 1/10.

Again the key word is: Uninspired. I mean, level 1 and 2 practically have the exact same boss only one's underwater. 1. Snake head thing attacks. 2. Dodge. 3. Snake attempts to smack you with it's head. 4. Jump on head, doing damage. 5. Rinse and Repeat....eight times. Can you see what I mean? It's just bad.

I'd like to end this review with one final irritant: Where's Super Sonic? I know that he's been a "last boss only" guy since Sonic Adventure. What I want to know is, why? Playing Super Sonic in the normal levels was one of the best parts of the game! It's as if the whole reward for getting all seven emeralds just disappeared.

Well, that's it. Sonic Rush; a crying shame in the line of Sonic games. Is it the worst one ever? No. There is still worse. But it's definitely up there on the list of baddies.

Reviewer's Score: 3/10, Originally Posted: 05/17/07