"A fun and entertaining game"

Sonic Rush was released on November 11, 2005 and is a great game. Since most of the console games have been disasters, the handheld games have been a nice refresher from them, with the Sonic Advance and both Rush games being great games that people enjoyed. This review will be divided into several categories.

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Story
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Sonic's Story: 8/10
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Sonic's story consists of him traveling through the 7 zones, tracking down Eggman Nega, a mysterious character the resembles Eggman, but with a few personality difference. At the end of each Zone, Nega shows up in a new machine to try and take down sonic.

Sonic's story starts off in Leaf Storm, where he goes through the same worlds as Blaze, but in the different order. They both end at Dead Line, world 7. The levels progressively get harder, but it all flows well, and you barely notice that the game is getting harder until you die seven times in a row on world 6 ( well, that's what happened to me <_<.) Sonic's story intertwines with Blaze, with Tails being his assistant, pointing out the names of the world, and being with him in the cutscenes. However, Tails can get VERY annoying, making you just wanting to smack him on the head. Come on Tails, this boss isn't that hard. Stop cheering every single time I get a hit.

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Blaze's Story: 9/10
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I know, I gave her story a higher rating. It shows the development of Blaze, going from a determined guardian with no friends to a nice person, who accepts people as her friends. I just felt more , I don't know, in the story.

Blaze is unlocked after you beat leaf Storm with Sonic. Her first level is Night Carnival a bright zone that's fun and just a tad hard. Her story consists of taking down Eggman, who took the Sol Emeralds from her world, and came back here. Along the way, she learns to make friends, with Blaze goes through the same 7 zones as Sonic, but in a different order. Cream is her assistant, pointing everything out, and telling Blaze what all the characters are like. Blaze goes through the same 7 zones as Sonic, but in a different order. Cream, unlike Tails doesn't seem all that annoying though. I don't know why.

And here's another thing. This may just of been my personal skill, but Blaze's story seemed easier. I seemed to beat levels faster with her. Whatever, I guess it won't matter to most people.


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Graphics: 8/10.
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The graphics are pretty good. Considering the DS' limited graphics capability, it looks pretty good and clean. Sonics 3-D view in the special zones could've been improved a bit, but overall the graphics are decent. You can see the characters clearly, the bosses and enemies look neat, and this definitely isn't the turning point of the game that makes it a must-play, but they certainly are good.

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Sound: 6/10.
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I played this game silent, like I usually do with handhelds. But when I went over the sound test,well...the sound was a bit disappointing. They mostly seem to match the zones but still...it seems a bit annoying. Maybe it's because I'm used to great sound coming from consoles and the sound of the DS just isn't up to par. But to be fair, I'm giving it a 6.

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Controls:9/10.
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Really, the controls are simple. Press the right d-pad button to move right. Left to move left. R to jump ( Hover/Glide for Blaze), down to spin into a ball/ to become a fiery top ( Ball for Sonic, top for Blaze.), and up to jump. All easy to use, and you probably won't have trouble.

However, the touch screen sensitivity on Sonic's special zones need a little work. Sonic didn't move well enough when I tried moving him around to get the rings, however, it does work pretty good, and won't really interfere with your enjoyment of the game.

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Replay Value: 8/10.
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You still have to get the Chaos emeralds from th special stages when you finish Sonic's game, plus there's a Time Attack feature where you can track how fast you are on stages. So, there's a bit to do, even after both stories are over. Plus, there's a secret you'll find out after you think you've completed everything.

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Multiplayer: 7/10.
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Race through the zones with a friend, with one person being Sonic and the other being Blaze. The bottom screen shows your friend's progress, so the zones are played only on the to screen. It doesn't matter, the levels still flow well enough without having transiting into the bottom screen.


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Overall: 7.8/10, rounded up to an 8.
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Overall, this game is fun and will keep you entertained for a long while. You should definitely buy this game. One thing however, is that this game adds to the slew of characters in the Sonic Universe. Seriously, it's nearly impossible to count off the several characters that are now in the series. While Blaze and Nega are nice additions, it makes you wonder. When will they stop adding characters?

See ya, I hope this review helped in your decision to buy this game

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/12/08

Game Release: Sonic Rush (US, 11/15/05)