10) Sonic Pocket Adventure
How many of you own a Neo Geo Pocket? How many even know what a Neo Geo Pocket is? Well, to answer that question it’s SNK’s answer to the Gameboy color and a vastly superior system hardware wise. It also features Dreamcast connectivity which is always a good thing, albeit severely underused due to the short lifespan of both platforms.
You also may be surprised to hear that there’s a classic 2D Sonic game on the systems developed by Capcom that’s actually really good. It’s more of a mashup of the Game Gear titles only with some original ideas and not terrible physics, gameplay, and music. There’s also a multiplayer mode for those of you who can find another pal with a Neo Geo Pocket. It’s weird to think this game isn’t talked about more, especially considering it was released to nearly unanimous perfect review scores.
9) Sonic Rush
Sonic Rush is pretty good. There’s a neat boost mechanic which is now a series staple and it lets you go fast and do tricks. This game is what recreated Sonic’s identity in nearly every “traditional” Sonic game following it as many of them took elements from it. (Not including Sonic 06) There’s not much to say about it. Ask someone to picture a modern Sonic game in their head and they’ll probably think of something along the lines of Rush.
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8) Sonic Colors
Sonic Colors was the second game to feature the shifting between 2D and 3D movement sections in the series after its popularity in Sonic Unleashed. And just like Sonic Unleashed, the developers didn’t think that was good enough and added on a gimmick to “sweeten” the pot in someone’s mind who doesn’t know anything about game design. That gimmick was the Wisp power-ups. As you run through the levels, you collect Wisp power-ups which are supposed to help you get past certain sections and take shortcuts, but instead completely destroy the pacing of the level. Literally none of the power-ups are fun to use or seem handy. The best levels in Sonic Colors are those that don’t require you to utilize the little buggers, which are few and far between. Oh yeah, there’s also a multiplayer mode where you place one of your Mii’s heads on Sonic body in some Frankenstein monster mash. That’s worth the price of admission.
7) Sonic Generations
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Sonic Generations was widely hailed as the return of Sonic to gaming greatness. I disagree because Sonic was never there to begin with. Sonic Generations feels like a game that was made to fill a quota at Sonic Team for the 20th anniversary. You split the game playing as Classic Sonic and Modern Sonic, where both game styles feel like a watered down version from their origins. Speaking of watered down, there’s also little to no story outside of two Eggmen yelling at each other and Sonic saying Saturday morning cartoon, dad-joke one liners to his soulless friends as he saves them.
Sonic Generations exists, and only serves, as a nostalgia trip. It is still fun nevertheless and there is plenty to do and unlock. However, if you never liked Sonic before, this game won’t change your mind. Unless you’re a fan of mods, because the PC version has some of the best mods in any game I’ve ever played.
6) Sonic Advanced
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Sonic Advance is what 2D Sonic games should be. Simple, fun, clean. In this GBA Sonic revival after the tragic death of the Dreamcast, Sonic returns to his roots with momentum based platforming that rewards precision with speed. This time around, you can play as Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy who each have unique abilities which make replaying the levels and trying to achieve the best times more enjoyable. I’m ranking Sonic Advance as the best in the trilogy due to spending the most time on it, and it having a preferred soundtrack, but really any game in the series can land on this spot.
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