"What A Rush!"

I have always been a tremendous fan of the Sonic franchise; Sonic is the main reason I got into gaming in the first place. I love the side-scrollers on the Genesis, but Sonic's handheld legacy hasn't had the factors that the console games have had. The Sonic Advance games were fun, but compared to the console games, felt a bit slow and too focused on exploration. Sega showed some Sonic footage on the DS a few E3s back, and although it's been a long time since the hedgehog's humble DS tech demo, Sega is ready to release their treasured mascot into the dual-screened world for a real run. Sonic Rush is Sonic's full-fledged DS game. Can this round be a winner?

Graphics 10/10

The DS astounded me with its graphic power when I first bought it, and now it has astounded me again. You cannot judge the graphics of Sonic Rush in screenshots, because when in action, the game is unbelievable. Sonic Rush is a 2-D side scroller with some slick polygonal animations. So, you have 3-D in a 2-D world. Sonic and the new character Blaze are animated so smoothly, the game retains the insane sense of speed that the Sonic Advance games were lacking. The classic loops, corkscrews, and jumps are designed well, and the speed is excellent. Sonic and Blaze can perform tricks in mid-air and on rails. These tricks are acrobatic and are used to build up a Tension Gauge, which is used to perform dashes. The techniques are smooth and even though you will need them to get through the levels quickly, remain consistent and don't slow the game down. Levels are pretty standard theme-wise, but have many different jumps and environment interactions to keep the game from being too exploratory. Enemies are standard fare, but have different abilities to challenge the player. The Special Stages are 3-D and animated beautifully, and the 3-D bosses are challenging and use the three dimensions well. I never thought I would see such a fast and frantic game on a handheld. Thank you, Sega.

Audio 8/10

The classic Sonic themes of each world is done well, having a nice sound similar to those of Jet Grind Radio. The quick combination of smooth techno and slick rap sounds make the game feel as fast as it sounds. The sense of speed is complimented by some mad dashing and rushing sounds. Ring collecting is still the familiar dings, and enemies' defeat is the same as before. Sonic and friends have okay voice-acting, adding some character to the game, but cutscenes are rarely voiced. Sonic and Blaze will make some small quips during gameplay. The audio will be familiar to anyone who's played a Sonic game before, but for the most part, is done well and has enough content to avoid tedium.

Gameplay 9/10

The high-speed Sonic pace has always seemed lacking in the handheld Sonic games, mostly due to the focus on exploring and less on the mad speed that Sonic is known best for. Sega has finally taken notice and created what is, in my opinion, the best handheld Sonic game ever. The controls of the game have been tweaked the fit the DS. A and B are used to jump, X and Y are used for rushing (which takes some energy from the Tension Gauge), and R is used for tricks. The controls are extremely easy to learn, providing some quick access to the even quicker action.

The story changes up a bit in Sonic's DS debut. It seems that Eggman has been messing around with the space-time continuum. He has been entering another dimension and stealing their treasures, the Sol Emeralds, for his evil schemes. The Guardian of the Sol Emeralds, Blaze the Cat, must save her world by retrieving the Sol Emeralds. Meanwhile, Sonic is tracking down a mysterious Eggman-Nega, a dimensional doppleganger of Eggman. Though on different storylines, Sonic and Blaze do team up with some familiar Sonic characters and occasionally cross paths. Blaze, in my opinion, is probably the most welcome addition to Sonic's cornucopia of companions in a while, and considering the interesting new twist on the Sonic story in Sonic Rush, I hope to see some more appearances from her in future games.

The Tension Gauge is a new addition to Sonic Rush. It's used to perform dashes throughout the elaborate levels and for entering the Special Stages. How do you increase the Tension Gauge? By doing acrobatic tricks of course! Sonic and Blaze must perform tricks with the A, B, and R buttons to increase the amount of energy in the Gauge. Do the same trick too much and the value decreases till there is no gain. Although the trick library is a little small, and the two characters pretty much have the same techniques, the trick system flows with the fast pace brilliantly. Different environment items can be used to gain points. Each move can even be used to get to a certain part of the level. I was very skeptical at the trick system after first hearing of it, but it instead makes the fast gameplay even faster and more over-the-top.

Sega has taken advantage of the DS's capabilities by using both screens of the system. While this may not seem necessary, the game's scope increases greatly and you can quickly see the many paths that can be taken throughout the levels. This combined with the frantic rushes and nice uses of the Tension Gauge and the game just feels bigger and is a great step forward for the franchise. The wireless gameplay is used well, and although not a tremendous move to the next level, remains a good addition to Sonic's handheld gaming legacy.

Special Stages take place by spending the energy in your Tension Gauge by spinning on a Special Generator. These portals are spread out across the levels in multiples, a very welcome change from the single Special portal in a level and having to slow down and find it. With multiple portals, the game can keep its sense of speed. The actual stages are only used with Sonic (Blaze gets an emerald after fighting a boss), but any Sonic veteran (like me) will recognize the Sonic 2-style half-pipe stages. The big difference is the use of the stylus to move Sonic. I wasn't a big fan of the Sonic 2 Special Stages, but with the tight controls of the stylus, it feels brand new. The stages involve collecting a certain amount of rings before a checkpoint. Clear ever checkpoint, and you get a Chaos Emerald. There are mines to avoid and jumps to grab rings, but the coolest inclusion is the integration of quick-tap minigames. Hit a target and a set of numbered icons will appear on screen. Tap them in the right order in time and get a ring boost. Don't think that you'll breeze through them all first try, though; these stages do constitute adept stylus manipulation and some brain power to figure out the best way to grab the rings and avoid the mines. All of these factors combine into some of the best Special Stages seen in a long time, and the multiple ways to get them only adds to their excellent quality.

The bosses are pseudo 3-D. You can only move left and right, or jump. But the bosses in Sonic Rush are brilliantly-designed. Each one's weakness does take a bit of time to figure out, but figuring it out is half the battle and half the fun. The many robotic behemoths are diverse in appearance, attack, and weakness, making each battle seem fresh and new. The challenge level is perfect and the overall cleverness of each boss is excellent.

While Sonic Rush is an excellent game, it does have a few problems. First is that you can't get more than one emerald per zone, which is a bit of a bummer for any Sonic veterans who are used to get emeralds like in Sonic 2 or 3. Also, in some cases, you have to fight enemies before progressing. This mostly involves using the Rush command to dash back and forth in confined areas until all of the enemies are gone. This slows down the action just a bit, but in the end, is forgotten after the incredible rush of the original Sonic gameplay. Another problem, at least in the beginning, is that the transition from screen to screen takes a bit of getting used to. When avoiding enemies or grabbing rings, the gap between the screens can get in the way a bit when first playing a Sonic game on the DS. Despite these problems, Sonic Rush is a phenomenal achievement for Sega. By focusing on Sonic's pure roots, Sonic Rush succeeds by giving a high-speed blast for DS owners.

Replay Value 8/10

Sonic Rush uses the console style-grade system, so getting all A-rank does provide some challenge and lifespan. Collecting the Emeralds does take some time to complete and replaying the levels again just for laughs is fun. The multiplayer is still present and a fun addition and the classic Time Attack remains good to play. The wireless functionality can be used both multi-card or for download play. Though nothing is really new for the replay value, the game is supported by its phenomenal gameplay and provides a really good time.

Final Verdict 9/10

Sonic Rush is exactly what it promises: a rush. The DS's strong hardware and abilities provide one of the fastest games to come across the system. The 3-D polygons combined with the 2-D plane make a stunningly-beautiful game to look at, and the sense of speed is never lost. The excellent bosses, smooth levels, new storyline, and much-improved Special Stages make this game a sight to behold. Though the game isn't perfect, it is a prime example of pure side-scrolling fun. Sonic Rush is sheer side-scrolling speed, exactly what fans were asking for. Sega has successfully returned to the roots of the Sonic franchise and created one of the best Sonic games to come out in a very long time. In my opinion, this is the best handheld Sonic game ever and definitely one the best Sonic games ever.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/28/05