Esa Mäkijärvi
KonsoliFIN Alumni
pöllittyä Cloudchaser Nintendon boardilta:
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Publisher: THQ
Developer: Dimps
Featured In: EGM #151
Play As: Sonic, Knuckles, Amy or Tails
Players: 1-4 (Linked)
Supports: GameCube to GBA Link Cable
Best Feature: This is classic, 2D Sonic. The cool GC-to-GBA Chao raising is nice, too
Worst Feature: Not enough stages
Web site: www.thq.com
Greg 8.0
It sure is nice to see that the first GBA Sonic title isn't just a remake of some game we all played to death 10 years ago, yet still retains the fast, simple gameplay we remember so well. Sonic Advance definitely feels old-school--right down to a couple classic Robotnik boss machines in the final level--but it's an all-new adventure that long-time fans of the series will love. One of my biggest fears going into this review was that Sonic and friends run so fast it might be hard to keep track of the action on such a small screen. Not so. The game is lightning-quick, but it's also easy to play, even if you're in a moving car. It could have a lot to do with the simplistic level design (let's face it, exploring large, intricate areas has never been a hallmark of the Sonic games). But Sonic Advance does stray from the beaten path a little, thanks to the different play styles afforded by the four characters. They also add a bit of replay value to what is a relatively short game. In fact, that's my biggest gripe with this game: It's over way too soon. Dimps should have included about twice as many levels. And while the multiplayer games are sorta neat, they're not compelling enough to make you want to play them more than a few times. The Chao Garden makes up for it, though. Being able to raise your Chao from Sonic Adventure 2 using this GBA game is pure genius, and shows off the incredible promise of Nintendo's GC to GBA Link Cable.
Milkman 7.0
First the good: Sonic Advance is the best 2D Sonic game since Sonic CD. The redrawn characters are slickly animated, the backgrounds are bright and colorful, and the stages are the most cleverly designed levels in a Sonic game ever. Dimps even managed to stick in some of the new moves for each character from Sonic Adventure 2. Sweet stuff. Problem is, though the game supplies four characters to play as, the only one worth bothering with is Sonic. (Thankfully, playing as the others isn't mandatory like in Sonic Adventure 2). The best part of the game, for me, is the Chao Garden GBA-to-GameCube feature that lets you raise virtual-Chao.
Chris 8.0
Finally, a real Sonic game. I'm an old-school fan of Sega's mascot, and Advance returns to the gameplay that made the series great. You know what I'm talking about : Run, jump, lose all your rings, and repeat until you reach the end. Simple but fun--isn't it great? Levels are reminiscent of the old games' best, and with the fres coat of paint, Sonic and pals have never looked better in 2D. Still, I could've done without Knuckles and Amy. They can't match the thrill of blasting through as Sonic or Tails. Hidden stages add an exploration factor, but in the end they're sorta lame. Those small grievances aside, forget Adventure. This is what Sonic should be.
- Esa
--
Publisher: THQ
Developer: Dimps
Featured In: EGM #151
Play As: Sonic, Knuckles, Amy or Tails
Players: 1-4 (Linked)
Supports: GameCube to GBA Link Cable
Best Feature: This is classic, 2D Sonic. The cool GC-to-GBA Chao raising is nice, too
Worst Feature: Not enough stages
Web site: www.thq.com
Greg 8.0
It sure is nice to see that the first GBA Sonic title isn't just a remake of some game we all played to death 10 years ago, yet still retains the fast, simple gameplay we remember so well. Sonic Advance definitely feels old-school--right down to a couple classic Robotnik boss machines in the final level--but it's an all-new adventure that long-time fans of the series will love. One of my biggest fears going into this review was that Sonic and friends run so fast it might be hard to keep track of the action on such a small screen. Not so. The game is lightning-quick, but it's also easy to play, even if you're in a moving car. It could have a lot to do with the simplistic level design (let's face it, exploring large, intricate areas has never been a hallmark of the Sonic games). But Sonic Advance does stray from the beaten path a little, thanks to the different play styles afforded by the four characters. They also add a bit of replay value to what is a relatively short game. In fact, that's my biggest gripe with this game: It's over way too soon. Dimps should have included about twice as many levels. And while the multiplayer games are sorta neat, they're not compelling enough to make you want to play them more than a few times. The Chao Garden makes up for it, though. Being able to raise your Chao from Sonic Adventure 2 using this GBA game is pure genius, and shows off the incredible promise of Nintendo's GC to GBA Link Cable.
Milkman 7.0
First the good: Sonic Advance is the best 2D Sonic game since Sonic CD. The redrawn characters are slickly animated, the backgrounds are bright and colorful, and the stages are the most cleverly designed levels in a Sonic game ever. Dimps even managed to stick in some of the new moves for each character from Sonic Adventure 2. Sweet stuff. Problem is, though the game supplies four characters to play as, the only one worth bothering with is Sonic. (Thankfully, playing as the others isn't mandatory like in Sonic Adventure 2). The best part of the game, for me, is the Chao Garden GBA-to-GameCube feature that lets you raise virtual-Chao.
Chris 8.0
Finally, a real Sonic game. I'm an old-school fan of Sega's mascot, and Advance returns to the gameplay that made the series great. You know what I'm talking about : Run, jump, lose all your rings, and repeat until you reach the end. Simple but fun--isn't it great? Levels are reminiscent of the old games' best, and with the fres coat of paint, Sonic and pals have never looked better in 2D. Still, I could've done without Knuckles and Amy. They can't match the thrill of blasting through as Sonic or Tails. Hidden stages add an exploration factor, but in the end they're sorta lame. Those small grievances aside, forget Adventure. This is what Sonic should be.
- Esa
