Sonic Team Game Reviews
Review Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds (PS5) - PS5's Best Kart Racer Is Robust, Chaotic Fun
Can you feel the sunshine?
Sonic's aptitude for speed makes him a perfect candidate for a racing game, but it's fair to say his motorsport career has been through some highs and lows over the years. Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds feels like a concerted effort to get the spin-off series back on course, and while it isn't perfect, it's probably the...
Review Sonic X Shadow Generations (PS5) - Shadow the Star of This Splendid Platforming Package
Prickly business
Back in 2011, Sonic Generations was heralded as a return to form for SEGA's spiky mascot. After a spate of poorly-received games, Sonic Team finally brought the hedgehog back with this simple and reflective title, celebrating the character's 20th anniversary. 13 years later, this fan favourite has returned with a remaster on modern...
Review Sonic Superstars (PS5) - A Solid 2D Sonic Game, If You Play It Solo
Sonic Superstar
Sonic Superstars arrives as the iconic SEGA mascot is on an upswing. This brand new side-scrolling platformer follows Sonic Mania, a great throwback adventure that mixes old and new, and Sonic Frontiers, the best 3D entry in the series in a long time. The less said about Sonic Forces, the better. The point is, the character has had a...
Mini Review Sonic Origins Plus (PS5) - The Wrong Library of Games to Bring Back
The Game Gear should be remembered, not celebrated
As much as it's good to have access to older games on current platforms, the new content that Sonic Origins Plus brings only reminds us how poor quality the SEGA handheld library was compared to its home console offerings. The original Sonic the Hedgehog games are great, and Sonic Origins is worth...
Review Sonic Frontiers (PS5) - Bold New Gamble for the Series Pays Off
I must proceed at a high velocity
After 23 years of 3D Sonic adventures, we all know how we feel about them; some love them, some demand they be launched into the sun. Regardless of your opinion on the 3D games, it was clear that, after the disaster that was Sonic Forces — a game many consider one of his worst ever — something drastic had to...
Review Sonic Origins (PS5) - The Genesis of SEGA's Mascot Revisited with Style
Past, way cool
Sonic the Hedgehog is like a 16-bit Skyrim: SEGA has re-released the Mega Drive classics on just about every platform you can think of, and it shows no sign of stopping. The latest effort is Sonic Origins, a collection that brings Sonic 1, Sonic 2, Sonic 3 & Knuckles, and Sonic CD to modern consoles under one banner. Even if we've...
The rainbow blur
After a string of poorly received entries, SEGA's mascot was in a bad spot back in 2010. However, the Wii-exclusive Sonic Colors was something of a reset for the franchise, cutting out most of the nonsense and presenting itself as a more straightforward action platformer. It remains one of the more favourably received games in the...
Review Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 (PS5) - Everything's Falling into Place
One line at a time
Puyo Puyo Tetris was a revelation when it first launched. Giving us an unprecedented bridge between these puzzle franchises, Sonic Team created one of the smoothest gameplay crossovers we’ve witnessed in recent years. Originally released in 2014, it never received a western localisation until a few years later for PlayStation 4...
Review Sonic Forces - Hedgehog More Like Roadkill in Another Disappointing Misadventure
Hogs of war
Republished on Wednesday 26th February 2020: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of March's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. In some ways, Sonic Forces is exactly what the younger fan base will want. Those who grew up playing Sonic Unleashed, Generations, and the...
Top of the pops
In a year that's continuously exceeded expectations, you weren't going to bet against Puyo Puyo Tetris being anything less than outstanding, were you? SEGA's gaudy puzzle-'em-up is a real joy, blending the breakneck brick building of Tetris with the more methodical splotch popping of the less-popular Puyo Puyo – sometimes on the...
Review NiGHTS into Dreams (PlayStation 3)
Love the NiGHT life
While SEGA’s offerings in recent years have been a varied assortment of peaks and valleys, there was a time when there was no disputing their quality. During the Saturn era Sonic Team put out several innovative games that defied genre conventions and immediately captured the hearts of the SEGA faithful. NiGHTS into Dreams has...
Review Sonic Generations (PlayStation 3)
Cycle shattering
Sonic Generations is a fitting celebration of the blue blur's legacy. We imagine somewhere deep inside Sonic Team's Tokyo headquarters there's a whiteboard packed with diagrams, text and flowcharts. Written at the head of the whiteboard in bold, red marker pen are the words 'Breaking The Sonic Cycle'. Venture into any Sonic thread...
Review Sonic Adventure (PlayStation 3)
If you have any nostalgic ties to SEGA's Dreamcast classic, Sonic Adventure, you're going to get a kick out of replaying this PSN re-release despite its issues
The controls are clunky, the voice-acting is terrible and the port is not brilliant - skipping on even optimising the game for wide-screen televisions. With that aside, it's hard to dislike...
Review Sonic Unleashed (PlayStation 3)
The most horrendous thing about Sonic Unleashed is that it shows signs of being absolutely, totally, awesome
It's just a shame about the rest of the game. Mandatory medal-hunts. Awful God Of War-ripped sub-gameplay. Terrible voice acting. Drawn-out level design. Just a few of the reasons that Sonic Unleashed is not quite the game you'd expect it to...
