It makes sense, honestly they could churn out every decent RPG/Strategy game on the Genesis and sell them for $5-6 a pop until they're blue in the face even if they drop frames here and there.
I don't care what games they release unless they release toe jam and earl planet junkatron. my life will be complete then.
Review: Sonic the Hedgehog Reclaims His Fame I remember when I was a young and carefree lad who would rush home afterschool to play with my Sega system, and one of my favorite games was Sonic the Hedgehog. Sonic would go on to bigger and better things and have his own series with Sega and arguably become one of video game history’s most recognizable icons. There was no doubt that Sonic would eventually reach the shores of the iPhone/iPod Touch platform. From the looks of it, Sonic may have found a new home. The game is about the evil Dr. Eggman and his attempt at world domination that begins with ruling South Island. Your journey with Sonic takes you through 6 worlds each with 3 sublevels culminating in a final showdown with Dr. Eggman. These are the Six Zones and each offers its own unique flavor and perky music. Green Hill Marble Starlight Clockwork Spring Yard Labyrinth Visually, Sonic the Hedgehog looks decent with the vibrant colors and animation that I remember. What the game could use is some polish in terms of refining the images and smoothing out the framerates. An different view is also available during gameplay by tapping the start button in the right corner which will shrink the screen to improve resolution. The controls which consist of a d-pad and a jump button are more than capable in controlling Sonic’s high-speed running, jumping, spinning, rolling capabilities. For the novice, the controls have a short learning curve, but it becomes second nature after some play. However, they are responsive and work well. The objective is of the game is simple: help Sonic reach the end of each level. This means going though obstacles, collecting rings, battling enemies (who are really friends), and grabbing perks whenever possible. Part of the task is to collect rings, which help Sonic survive attacks and injuries. And, for every 100 rings collected, Sonic gains an additional life. Of course, if you get injured, you can lose most of what you’ve collected. Power ups accessed by breaking what look like TV monitors are located randomly on each level. These monitors provide a variety of power ups including extra life, invincibility, speed boost, bonus rings and shields. One of the nice things about Sonic and in many games in general are checkpoints, which allow you to resume a game at that point. In Sonic’s case, the checkpoint is a yellow lamp post. Obstacles include spikes and endless pits as well as various animals that have been transformed into mechanical monsters. Sonic can save them by jumping on them to remove the metal gear. The port for the iPhone/iPod Touch platform is a decent one, but you will see blurriness as Sonic speeds up running or rolling. The framerates are generally smooth, but I notice that even on my iPod Touch 2g, there are occasional lags. It doesn’t affect gameplay so much, but it can be annoying for some. Whether you’re new to Sonic the Hedgehog or grew up with him, the iPhone/iPod Touch port is done reasonably well and delivers the challenging and fun gameplay I remember. Hopefully, Sega provides further updates to refine Sonic, but this is a terrific start to re-introducing the original Sonic to today’s generation. Albie Meter: 4 Stars (recommended for old school gamers and those looking for something new from something old; game is not a perfect and needs some refinements/optimizations for the iPhone/iPod Touch platform so take that into consideration)
PROS - Original graphics and sounds - Two views available: the smaller screen is a bless, try it! - Good controls - It can properly resume - In-game volume control - In-game help (general instructions and control) CONS - No high score - One control (d-pad at left and jump button at right) - Nothing about the game story and game history
Nice review. I can never give that kind of a review. Can't wait for Sonic Unleashed. That's coming out, right (from Gameloft?)?
Even though I love classics due to my mis-spent youth, I would give this one a pass cause I am a bit disappointed by the laziness of Sega (from the screenshots) for not brushing up anything. If another else would provide alternative, I would consider.
All the new sonic games have been a waste of time. It's better they port the old classics rather than ruining the franchise any more with an awkward acelerometer 3D joke. The old games were awesome when they came out, so i'd buy it for the nostalgic value! ~infinite~
I had already blocked that one from memory. Thanks for the reminder. You are absolutely right. Yuck..
Another victim of raising some "good old" memory here. Yikes! Even though they may be "light years" apart, say the "iFighters" developer gives us a something with the "original" 1942, I guess I would have passed that one also...
Why don't they port it? So they could bring all their old games via emulation like this? As they can't be bothered to port it one by one? They can't even bother to move Sonic's life indicator from the bottom left corner where your thumb will cover it most of the time! (I wonder why no one has mentioned this yet). Look at Wolf 3D, it still feels original yet your thumbs aren't covering any of the mess originally placed at the bottom of the screen. Sega should've released Sonic Collection like for PS2. That at the very least means Sonic 1, 2 and 3 in one game. They can charge $10 and I'd be way happier.
I am not really a fan of virtual D-pads, but it's not too bad. At first I tried to duck and dash but it wasn't working. I forgot that was not something Sonic could do until the sequel.
