While not as great as the classics on the Genesis, Sonic Rush is the best 2D Sonic game to come out in more recent times
Sonic finally returns to what he is best at, running through side-scrolling levels at a very fast speed. While the Sonic Advance series for the GBA tried to match the classics, but Sonic Rush takes the gameplay a step up and makes this the best we've ever seen recently. There are two playable characters, Sonic and Blaze. Sonic has his typical fast jumping skills and can run at speed bursts. Blaze, a new character in the Sonic universe, has fire-powers and can hover in the air a little. Ether character you play, you are treated with 7 zones, each containing 2 action stages and one boss. After beating each zone, you are normally treated with cutscenes to view the game's storyline.
Unlike the Sonic Advance series, Sonic Rush takes the gameplay to a whole new level. You are now given a gauge where you fill it up whenever you attack enemies or do tricks while grinding on rails. You can press and hold ether the X or Y buttons to have Sonic or Blaze to go at a very fast speed. This technique not only helps you go through the stage faster, but wipes out robots in your path. Eventually, however, your gauge will run out and you will have to fill it up again by attacking more robots and such. Another fun feature in the gameplay is the trick system. While grinding on rails, you can rapidly press the R button to do multiple tricks for score points. When you're blasting through the air, you can also do air tricks as well, such as flips and poses. All these tricks will also fill up your gauge meter as well. There are many surprising game elements in Sonic Rush's stages that I won't reveal them here. But, if you don't get the picture yet, playing Sonic Rush's stages is a blast. The boss battles are also pretty cool too. Though some of them are hard and need a great amount of strategy, there's no doubt that it's still fun. After beating the game with both characters, you'll unlock a couple minor things. In order to complete the entire game, however, you need to collect all the Chaos Emeralds that are spread out in special stages. If you see a flip wheel, then you can enter the special stages if you use your speed blasts on it.
Even the special stages here are very unique and fun. Sonic (who can only do these stages) can run through a half-pipe to collect a number of rings, similar to the special stages in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 for the Genesis. You use the DS's touch screen to move Soinc around. The special stages also have added features that allow you to do tricks to earn more rings. If you collect enough or more rings in the special stage before completing it, you are given a Chaos Emerald. All of these gameplay elements sum up to one fast-paced experience that should be a treasure in a Sonic fan's collection.
Graphics:
The graphics are colorful and very bright. Many of the graphics are in 2D, however, Sonic and Blaze are both in 3D, and they look pretty good for a DS game. When running through the action stages, the graphics are 2D but with a couple 3D surprises. The boss battles are in complete 3D graphics, but with 2D gameplay (like SSBM). The 2D textures are nicely done and the polygons aren't bad ether. Sonic Rush, overall, has a pretty clean presentation.
Sound:
Now this is where I drop my positive views of Sonic Rush. The music is absolutely unfitting for a Sonic game. Sure it's catchy, but not in a great way. If any of you heard of Jet Set Radio or JSRF's music, then this type of music will be familiar to you. Many of the songs do not fit in this type of game at all in my opinion. The sound effects are old-school style, and that's not a bad thing. So there are no problems there. Another minor issue is the voice acting. Though the dialogue during the cutscenes is in text only, you'll hear a couple one liners while playing Sonic Rush. Some of the voices in the overall game are pretty good, but there are a couple annoying voices as well. Sonic Rush's audio presentation did not impress me much, but it might impress you if you give this game a try.
Conclusion:
Aside from the audio, I can not think of anything negative of Sonic Rush. This game offers up fast 2D-gameplay like the series is famous for along with other elements to keep the fun going. Unfortunately, the game is not very long. There are only 14 action stages total in Sonic Rush and 9 boss battles. (one of them is locked until you get all the Chaos Emeralds) So the value, like most 2D Sonic games, is not long-lasting. Still if you're up for some fast Sonic fun for your DS, Sonic Rush is the game for you.
Pros:
-Fast and fun 2D gameplay
-New elements, such as tricks and blast dashes, are nice additions
-Colorful graphics
Cons:
-Music might not be pleasant for your ears
-A little short