I was really psyched for this game. Ever since I can remember I've been a Sonic Fan, and of course I bought my GC Soley for SA2 Battle (Other games have come along of course) So what can I say about this game.
On the Plus Side the story is fantastic. So many different endings you can chose from, so many paths to take, it's confusing which one to chose first. Good bad normal, whew! Not to mention the agonizing question "WHO THE HECK IS SHADOW?" After all he burst-ed on to the scene in SA2, as the ultimate Evil Carbon Copy Twin, with no absolute answerers. Including the end to SA2. (before him there was METAL) The darker story really makes it different from most Sonic games Another Plus, the variety of weapons. This raised some controversy amongst SONIC Fans. Even I was a little unsure. You know worried "Are they really making this as a Sonic Team Game, or are they just trying to jump on the HALO Band wagon. Fortunatley they didn't go overboard with the weapon use (although it is easier to use them) no blood gore, any of that nonsense. No first person shooting game style. So that was good. With Vocing, my deepest concern. First off with a character driven game like Shadow, VOICES DO MATTER. With a plain shooting game like 007 they don't. When I heard they fired the far more superior cast with the crappy Sonic X cast, who can't act. Fortunatley they actually acted. Jasson Griffiths who voiced both Sonic and Shadow actually did very fine with their voices. I was nearly fooled into thinking "maybe they didn't replace them after all." Despite Knuckles sounding like a 70 year old constipated man, and Yugi Moto the voicing was far better than expected. Music wise this has a new array of songs and music lead by the talented composer Jun Senoue, (?sp) and featuring the bands of Jullian K, Crush 40, and many more. The level music is catchy, and does bring up old Sonic Compostions of the past.
Now on the Miss Side, the controls can be a bit overwhelming for new players. Homing Attack can lead you right off the edge of a cliff if not careful. And the Triangle Jumps are a nightmare. And the Camera Controls aren't as decent as they should be. It's easy to lose sight of your character in a tricky areas, or to have a blind spot on enemy attacks. The Audio/Visual Sync can be over done or out of place. Some sounds drown out characters voices while giving instructions, and characters can interrupt instructions as well. Plus Music is often drowned out by the presence of sound effects. Fortunatley this is usually only in stages, and not in the Cinematics. With the Cinematics there are constant loading screens between cut scenes which really slow the story down. Although there is a variety of weapons to chose from, many of them especially the RPG's have very poor accuracy, which can make long range shooting difficult, in difficult areas.
Overall I really like this game, it was fun and enjoyable, I still have YET to beat the VERY Final Boss. This game was not a disappointment for me, I liked it, and it earns a solid 8 from me.
On the Plus Side the story is fantastic. So many different endings you can chose from, so many paths to take, it's confusing which one to chose first. Good bad normal, whew! Not to mention the agonizing question "WHO THE HECK IS SHADOW?" After all he burst-ed on to the scene in SA2, as the ultimate Evil Carbon Copy Twin, with no absolute answerers. Including the end to SA2. (before him there was METAL) The darker story really makes it different from most Sonic games Another Plus, the variety of weapons. This raised some controversy amongst SONIC Fans. Even I was a little unsure. You know worried "Are they really making this as a Sonic Team Game, or are they just trying to jump on the HALO Band wagon. Fortunatley they didn't go overboard with the weapon use (although it is easier to use them) no blood gore, any of that nonsense. No first person shooting game style. So that was good. With Vocing, my deepest concern. First off with a character driven game like Shadow, VOICES DO MATTER. With a plain shooting game like 007 they don't. When I heard they fired the far more superior cast with the crappy Sonic X cast, who can't act. Fortunatley they actually acted. Jasson Griffiths who voiced both Sonic and Shadow actually did very fine with their voices. I was nearly fooled into thinking "maybe they didn't replace them after all." Despite Knuckles sounding like a 70 year old constipated man, and Yugi Moto the voicing was far better than expected. Music wise this has a new array of songs and music lead by the talented composer Jun Senoue, (?sp) and featuring the bands of Jullian K, Crush 40, and many more. The level music is catchy, and does bring up old Sonic Compostions of the past.
Now on the Miss Side, the controls can be a bit overwhelming for new players. Homing Attack can lead you right off the edge of a cliff if not careful. And the Triangle Jumps are a nightmare. And the Camera Controls aren't as decent as they should be. It's easy to lose sight of your character in a tricky areas, or to have a blind spot on enemy attacks. The Audio/Visual Sync can be over done or out of place. Some sounds drown out characters voices while giving instructions, and characters can interrupt instructions as well. Plus Music is often drowned out by the presence of sound effects. Fortunatley this is usually only in stages, and not in the Cinematics. With the Cinematics there are constant loading screens between cut scenes which really slow the story down. Although there is a variety of weapons to chose from, many of them especially the RPG's have very poor accuracy, which can make long range shooting difficult, in difficult areas.
Overall I really like this game, it was fun and enjoyable, I still have YET to beat the VERY Final Boss. This game was not a disappointment for me, I liked it, and it earns a solid 8 from me.