Title: Sonic Advance
Published By: SEGA (Japan)/THQ (America)/Infogrames (Europe)
Released: 2001 (Japan)/2002 (America/Europe)
Console: Game Boy Advance
Background: While it is not a very old game, it will be one of the newest games I'll review, it does have a nostalgic quality to it. Sonic Advance marked the beginning of a new era for Sonic, it was the first original game in the series not to be released on a SEGA console. Many people feel that the Sonic series is struggling to produce the goods anymore, almost as if they are trying to get more milk out of a dead cow. However, this game kept me entertained for years and I often class it as one of the last good Sonic games. Sonic Advance is a throwback to the early 90's Sonic, a platformer about getting from one side of the stage to the other, collecting rings etc. Sonic the Hedgehog got me into gaming when I was just two years old. While raking through my room I found this game and I decided to play it for the first time in four years. Will my opinion of "one of the last good Sonic games" change, or is it just how I remembered it to be?
Story: There isn't much to the story, Dr. Robotnik (or Dr. Eggman, if you wish to call him by that) is being evil and Sonic (or Tails, Knuckles or Amy) has to stop him. Again. At the end of each "Act II" you have to face Eggman and his latest inventions (with the exception of Angel Island Zone, where you have to face Metal Knuckles). You get special stages where you have a chance to gain a chaos emerald. There is also a mini-game called Tiny Chao Garden. This can be linked up to the Gamecube version of Sonic Adventure 2. You are basically raising your own Chao, using rings you've collected in the stages to buy stuff for it. I surprisingly got a lot of fun out of it back in the day, but haven't played with it much this time around. The only thing I have against the single player game is that it is too short, a good player could finish it in an hour.
Gameplay: For the one person who has never played a 2D Sonic game before...seriously, what the hell? Leave, now. Go ahead. Come back when you have played one. While we wait for that one person to return, the gameplay is classic 2D Sonic. The main aim is to get from one side of the level to the next, collecting as much rings as possible. There are a number of enemies and obstacles that will make you lose your rings if they successfully attack you. You will see a number of boxes in each level, each offering a different reward including more rings, a bubble shield that defends you from one hit, temporary invurnability to everything (except if you fall off the screen...nothing can protect you from that I'm afraid) and even an extra life if you are lucky. Your goal in Act I is to reach the post at the end of the level, while at the end of Act II you have to have Dr. Robotnik and one of his inventions. The boss fights range from the simple (the first is basically "jump on him, RUN AWAY!!!! repeat") to frustrating (there is one that takes place underwater. Robotnik will occasionally call down some icicles which you have to jump onto in order to hit Robotnik or get some air. It takes a little bit of practise to master the art of jumping on the icicles in time).
Graphics/Music: First of all, welcome back guy formally known as the one person who has never played a 2D Sonic game before. I hope you have learned your lesson. Now, the graphics are reminisicent of the old games on the Mega Drive (Genesis for you North Americans), but with improvements due to the Game Boy Advance having the advantage of better technology and software. The music is decent, not as good as the old Mega Drive Sonic soundtracks, but I've heard worse music in games.
Criticisms: I mentioned earlier how short it was, and that is main criticism of the game. However, the game has plenty of replayability, with four characters to play with and trying to find all the special stages can fill in some time. It's also not as fast placed as previous Sonic games, but that is not that important in the end.
Overall: Fan of old Sonic, but dislike the recent 3D games? This is the game for you. It belongs on the GBA, and while it maybe short, it most definitely is perfectly formed. You can probably find a cheap copy of it somewhere on eBay or in some game shops (alas, where I live lacks such a place, even GBA games are no longer sold), so if you like Sonic and have a Game Boy Advance or a DS, then you should buy it.
Final Score: 8/10
