Sonic Colors Wii Review.

The Best Sonic game in years possibly the decade.

 

There has been many mascots coming back in this generation for their own titles. Donkey Kong came back with a new title called Donkey Kong Country Returns featuring the same gameplay style as the Original Donkey Kong Country. Kirby returns with a new adventure with Kirby's Epic Yarn and Mario with his 25th Anniversary recently released a compilation of all Super Mario Games on the NES called Super Mario All Stars which in my opinion is a disappointment as Super Mario World isn't even in it. But the best return out of all of them I would say is Sonic in Sonic Colors.

 

Dr. Eggman has created an amusement park in which Sonic and Tails pay a visit. There they meet up with Dr. Eggman who is trying to capture little alien creatures known as wisps to harness their power and use them to take control of people's minds to do his bidding. Sonic must stop Dr. Eggman at all times because like Sonic said, that's all they do. I wonder what would happen if Dr. Eggman would disappear, I think Sonic would have to collect unemployment or something. While Sonic tries to stop Dr. Eggman, Tails stays behind working on his translator which would help both Sonic and Tails understand what the alien is talking about. The story tries to be comical and to some extent it succeeds. The most recurring joke is tails getting mixed up with his translator while talking to the alien Yacker, whom they meet in the beginning.

 

There are a total of 5 worlds with several different acts each and a Boss Battle towards the end. Some Acts are very short while others can be very long. The long ones can be easy to begin with but can get difficult at times and you have to do more than just speed through the level. There are several different alien species that help you along the way called Wisps. These aliens power vary from color. One can give you a laser power which can help you teleport to a different area if you hit the teleport needle or help you get hard to reach places. Another Wisp helps you dig through the level where you can find extra items. A Rocket wisp helps takes you to the highest part of the level if there's nothing in your way. A blimp wisp will help you navigate through some areas by giving you the power to float. These are not the official names of the wisps but I call them depending on what power they provide you with.

The Boss battle that is the most annoying is the space ship which you must defeat towards the end of the Space World. It's not hard but one mistake and you lose your rings, another mistake costs you your life. The ship can take 8 to 10 minutes to defeat and if you fail you have to start all over from the beginning. 

As  you unlock more wisps you can go back to different levels and get the star coins that you couldn't get to before. There is also a challenge mode where you go through the level as fast as you can and get the highest score. There is also an arcade world in which you race through virtual tracks. 

Each world is very unique and has its own theme such. My favorite level of them all though is Act 1 from the Space World level which is all about speed. The camera angles are amazing and span through several areas of the world and speeding through it by pressing the 1 button makes it even more amazing visually. The music is also great and adds more to the atmosphere. Sonic Colors is all about speed and some Acts show it but at times you will have to  slow down and jump through several platforms. This switches the difficulty as it catches players off guard. You must always stay awake and pay attention to all levels as you don't know what surprises will be around the corner. 

Sonic Colors plays in traditional 3D just like other Sonic games but at times it will switch to a side view camera and play like the 2D Sonic Games. This is a nice addition and when it switches to this view get ready to speed through the level. There is so much going on in the world of Sonic Colors at once and everything is done with nice detail and textures. The is no lag when speeding through the game even while you are surfing in outer space when ships are arriving and there is so much going on in the background. Sonic Colors is one of the better Wii games on the console and it shows. It just sucks this game isn't available on PS3 or 360.

The Soundtrack is also amazing it matches the Sonic's theme. While it cannot compare to the 2D Sonic games from the past it's still great to listen to it as you move through the environments. Voice Acting is also great. Each characters voice matches their persona. At times some lines will be cheesy but when you really think about it, this game was aimed at a younger audience but the honest truth is anyone can enjoy this game.

 

Sonic is not Sonic if it doesn't have a nice controller layout. This is not a problem with Sonic Colors as the controls feel solid and gets rid of the excess weight. You can tilt your Wii-Mote sideways and use it like an NES/Genesis controller or you can use the gamecube controller. Giving you that option is a great addition as you don't need to have many Wii-Motes just to play. Playing as Sonic is very easy but it's the levels that bring a nice challenge to the table. There is also Multiplayer Co-Op but that's a feature you will want to stay away from as both players play on the same screen.

Closing Comments:
Sonic Colors is a great game that everyone should enjoy. It's way better than all the Sonic games in the past including Sonic 4. The game is solid and anyone can have a great time playing. The Wisps are a nice addition to the Sonic universe and I hope they make an appearance in future Sonic titles. Sonic Colors is one of those Wii Games that is a must buy if you're a Sonic fan and compared to other mascots making an appearance after a long hiatus I think Sonic has the better game on the Wii.

GamePlay: Very fun gameplay with solid controls. 10/10

Graphics: One of the better looking Wii games with vibrant colors that bring the world to life. 10/10

Sound: Not the best Sonic music but definitely better than other Sonic games. 8/10

Story: Great story which keeps it simple to only Sonic, Tails and the Wisps. 9/10

LifeSpan: 5 worlds with several wisps to unlock brings you hours of entertainment. 8/10

Total Score: 90/100