Sonic Colors (2010)

Sonic Generations with Shadow was a pretty good game, and it made me want to try some of the other acclaimed Sonic games. I tried and beat this one and, while I enjoyed it, there were some moments of frustration and frankly bad game design at times. The game is kind of mid, but it's also fun at times and has some pretty good vibes. The powers you get are hit and miss, and there are too many moments where they slow you down. You'll play one bad level, but then right after that enjoy a good one. I think Sonic needs some better QA and hopefully they can create some great games like Generations, as their ardent fans deserve it. As far as colors is concerned, this one is basic fun but not necessarily worth the few hours it takes to beat.and it's concerning this is considered one of Sonic's best 3d outings as it doesn't hold a candle to generations + shadow

7.25/10

So I've played Sonic Colors now (via the Ultimate re-release), and I think I'm going to go with a 3/5 for this one. It's good, it's fun, it's charming, it's kind of janky (especially in 2D segments), and it's boost formula 3D Sonic which I just don't enjoy as much as Adventure-style 3D Sonic.

The soundtrack is great (as is almost always the case for Sonic games), and I appreciate Colors working with its own unique theme for its levels (in this case, Eggman's amusement park set in outer space, with a cool space elevator connecting it to the world below). The story is kept simple and lighthearted, which I think works best for Sonic these days. There were times I even laughed at the jokes, many of which come from Eggman's intercom announcements while playing the levels (easier to hear if you turn down the music and turn up the voices -- these are adjustable).

The wisp powers (basically items) are gimmicky, and some I like better than others. But I don't think any of them are completely terrible or overstay their welcome. The game encourages replayability by going back to levels with new wisps unlocked, giving you access to more areas, shortcuts, and collectibles. But if you just want to run through all the levels and not bother with extra challenges, you can do that -- no fuss no muss.

Bottom line: While I don't think Colors is the amazing Sonic game many people have made it out to be, it's still well-worth checking out. If you're less than a diehard fan, I recommend picking it up during a sale. It'll make for a pleasant "weekend game" at the $20 it'll inevitably go for.

My ranking for boost formula 3D Sonic is probably:

• Sonic Generations (my appreciation for this one has probably grown after playing the other three... so it might be time for a revisit)
• Sonic Colors
• Sonic Forces (not nearly as bad as people have made it out to be IMO -- in fact, I'd say it's just slightly below Colors)
• Sonic Unleashed (the mandatory way-too-long beat-em-up levels really knock this one down a peg)

I will note that there is actually a completely different game called Sonic Colors, which was released for the Nintendo DS handheld. That one is basically Sonic Rush 3, but with the same themes for the levels (from Colors) and with the wisp gimmicks. I think I would rate that a 3/5 as well at this point, a solid little romp with 2D gameplay that controls much better than its home console counterpart. It does feel a bit charmless though, trying to mimic it as much as it can. So my ranking for the Rush games is probably:

• Sonic Rush Adventure (the GOAT -- there's a certain charm to this one that really clicked with me)
• Sonic Colors
• Sonic Rush (A+ soundtrack... way too many pits)

Sonic Colors is a game I never beat when I was younger. So I was excited to complete it for this retrospective and I wasn't disappointed. It is a game filled with so many great ideas that are well executed.

Sonic Colors is a direct sequel to Sonic Unleashed as it carries over the boost gameplay from Unleashed and adds to it. I still prefer Unleashed. But Sonic Colors is still a great game that actually made me audibly say "wow" which I haven't said for a Sonic game in forever.

The Plot of Sonic Colors is the most simple story we have had yet. Sonic and Tails are investigating Eggman's amusement park that was built in space. Upon discovering that Eggman is draining these aliens known as Wisps to power his theme park and a Mind-Control Ray, Sonic with the help of Tails and a Wisp named Yacker, try to foil Eggman's plans. The story is simple enough to be charming. But this is the first Sonic game where the story almost becomes obsolete, unlike the older titles. That said, this is the debut of Roger Craig Smith as Sonic. He does an ok performance in terms of the voice. But I hate the writing in this game a lot. The game tries way too hard to be funny and none of the jokes land. It's worse when they try to explain the joke which makes it even less funny. Overall, the story is tolerable. But it suffers from awful AWFUL writing.

However, the gameplay is extremely good. For starters, the level design is great and the levels look fantastic. Filled with so much color (Hence the title) and personality. And the music in this entire game is fantastic. Aquarium Act 1 and Planet Wisp Act 1 are great. As well as vocal songs like the main theme, Reach For The Stars.

The gameplay is a lot like Unleashed in the sense that you use the boost to tear through the levels while finding shortcuts and avoiding obstacles. However, there is a lot of 2D sections which I actually dislike and like. It's fine to have 2D bits but I wish there weren't so many. Anyways, the Wisps are the main gimmick and allow Sonic to go through levels in unique ways. You got the standard Wisps that power your boost, Laser which shoots you forward while ricocheting on obstacles. You have Drill which allows you to go underground, Hover which lets you float, Rocket which shoots you upward, and many others that provide so much fun and enjoyment.

Sonic Colors is easily one of the best in the series. Even if it suffers from repetitive 2D sections and a mediocre story with pretty bad writing. The game has amazing gameplay and music. Can't wait for the Remaster.

3/5

Would Recommend

I didn't play Sonic Colors when it came out. Although reviews at the time were mostly positive, they weren't quite enthusiastic enough to steal my attention away from Super Mario Galaxy 2. I decided to give it a spin after playing and enjoying Sonic Forces in spite of its far poorer critical and fan reception.

I was surprised to find that Sonic Colors feels like a true precursor to Sonic Forces, much more than Generations does. Many of the level types in Forces are present here. It's comparable in length (Forces took me about 40 minutes longer to finish). It has well-voiced animated cut scenes for a story that makes very little sense (though this one's far less grim and gritty). And for the most part, the difficulty is pretty low.

Where this game stumbles in comparison to Forces is consistency. I probably died fewer than five times in the first four zones, but in the final two, I saw full-on "Game Over" screens pretty frequently. I was often confused as to what exactly I'd done wrong. As IGN's review put it at the time, these sections "didn't feel challenging due to devious design; they felt like cheap death-generators." It wasn't enough to make me abandon the game, but I came close.

It's easy to understand why Sonic fans looked past those issues at the time. In the preceding eight years they'd endured the death of the Dreamcast, the strange team-based gameplay of Sonic Heroes, the cringe-inducing Shadow spin-off, a dumpster fire called Sonic '06, two polarizing and buggy on-rails Wii exclusives, and a promising Sonic game hiding in-between tedious "were-hog" beat-em-up levels. Sonic Colors is better than all of those games. But compared to newer entries like Generations, Forces and Mania, it doesn't completely hold up.