Sonic Colors

SegaWii

Ever since Sonic ventured out of the classic Sega Genesis console and into the 3D world, fans have been, for the most part, thoroughly disappointed. The Nintendo Wii Sonic games have been particularly terrible, with minor flashes of potential drowning in a myriad of problems. Now, for the first time in nearly 20 years, we finally get a Sonic game that is consistently enjoyable, and actually quite brilliant.

Sonic Colors takes the best of every 3D Sonic game, gets rid of the waste, and becomes a brand new title that feels like a classic Sonic game, but at the same time is all shiny and new. It's about time.

Dr. Eggman (Dr. Robotnik for the die-hards out there) is back as the antagonist. This time around he creates an Amusement Park in space, under the guise of peace and goodwill. Sonic, accompanied by trusted companion Tails, feels that Eggman has probably not actually turned righteous all of a sudden and sneaks his way into the park. There, he of course finds out Eggman's up to no good and so the adventure begins.

The Amusement Park is broken up into six themed planet worlds with remarkably different level designs. Longtime fans will be familiar with the casino and grassy world staples, but Sweet Mountain and its candyland background offers a fresh environment for the blue hedgehog. In a lot of ways, the graphics and presentation is what really makes this game standout as it's one of the best looking games for the entire Wii console. Sonic "Colors" certainly lives up to its name. Even better, the level designs are creative and unique, combining flat out speed with side-scrolling platform action.

Those who have played Sonic games in the recent past have had to deal with some pretty lame gimmicks - does Sonic really need a sword, or have to turn into a Werehog, to be fun? - but they finally get it right in Colors. Dr. Eggman enslaves these creatures called Wisps, and it's up to Sonic to save them. The bonus for saving these Wisps are added boosts to Sonic's abilities. Each colored Wisp that Sonic comes across and absorbs gives the blue blur an ability or power to exploit. While some are simple, like extra speed boost, others require the player to perform platform-styled abilities, such as drilling through the ground. There are eight colored Wisps in total in the game.

Going through the game will take no more than 10 hours for some, but that's only if you ignore some of the challenges and puzzles that all levels present. You receive a letter grade for each level you complete based on the amount of points you get. The faster you finish a level and the more rings you have, for example, the better your score will be. In addition, scattered across each level are five red tokens to collect. Some are easy and along the straightforward path you take, while others require the use of Wisps at the proper time to collect. The game automatically saves as you go, so there's no need to have to collect all five tokens all in one go. The tokens become harder to collect as you progress through the game, giving perfectionists a great reason to keep going back to the game.

Sonic Colors makes use of the classic controller, but the remote and nunchuk is by far the best way to play this game. It takes some getting used to Sonic's speed, especially since he has a tendency to drift as he slows down. If you're not careful, you'll easily fall off an edge and to instant death.

For Sonic fans, this game is a must. Never has the world's fastest hedgehog looked so good in 3D.