I was so excited when it was announced that Sonic would appear on the Xbox 360. And what better way to start over on a good basis than an episode that goes back to the sources of the saga, with a new overpowering graphics engine and an increased level of difficulty?
Well, I was disappointed.
Since its transition to 3D, the Sonic series seems to have lost its status as the best platform game. The press criticized this game and rightly so. But it is clear that if Sonic the hedgehog is indeed full of more or less embarrassing flaws and it was a severe disappointment to me as a Sonic fan from the Sega Genesis era.
The adventure begins in Soleanna, the capital of the kingdom. It is in these places that Princess Elise must lead the great annual festival of the sun. But it's also an opportunity for the infamous Dr Eggman to return to centre stage by kidnapping the princess and borrowing from her a precious stone capable of creating time travel. Fortunately, Sonic watches over the city, and although he cannot stop Dr Eggman from kidnapping his friend, he is determined to send him back once and for all away from Soleanna.
A new episode, new rules. If the title of the game is Sonic the Hedgehog, its content is quite different. The solo adventure indeed proposes to control in turn Sonic, Silver and Shadow. Three characters who use radically different fighting techniques and therefore have other handling mechanisms.
Everything, therefore, begins in the skin of Sonic, charged by the city of Soleanna to save the princess and defeat the ignoble Dr Eggman. The Sonic part is undoubtedly the most fun part of the game, with high-speed races through sublime and varied backgrounds. Most of the time, it suffices to reach a star, synonymous with the end of the level, to win. Sonic has a whole set of moves, including the inevitable roll, double jump, grind on steel bars, ball jump to eliminate enemies and the board part that allows you to snowboard in the mountains snowy levels. This story also allows playing with Knuckles, whose speciality is gliding, and Tails who can fly thanks to his tail.
The story has the potential of a classic Sonic adventure, but once you delve deeper into the game - the significant flaws are revealed. Sonic suffers from extremely poorly placed cameras. These, which always tend to go to the sides during too tight loops and to follow the action incorrectly are indeed the worst defect of the game.
The second major flaw is the lack of precision with the controls. I remember the Sega Genesi incarnation of Sonic - the controls were tight, fast and snappy. On the Xbox 360, it feels and suffers from a lack of precise handling, which goes against the whole premise and point of the Sonic brand.
Sonic could have been one of the defining platform games on the Xbox 360. A new high-performance graphics engine to deliver Sonic into the next generation of console gamers. But alas, it failed to deliver on the high promise. Maybe, as a fan, I had too high hopes and expectations.
In the end, Sonic the hedgehog was a colossal disappointment, and many gamers were left dissatisfied with its release.