Sonic has hit a few speed bumps lately. He hasn't stopped completely, but he's not zipping along like he was in the 90s, either. In steps the latest crop of Sonic titles, one for next-generation consoles and the other for Sony's PSP. The latter, titled Sonic Rivals, actually shoots for the glory days - a time when Sonic proudly shook his 16-bit finger at audiences and sat atop the ladder of videogame coolness. Developed by Backbone Entertainment, makers of the Death Jr. games, Sonic Rivals actually does a decent job of bringing back the magic.
It takes the two things needed for a successful Sonic game, namely speed and crazy levels, and blends them with modern visuals. Speaking of which, Rivals does look very good. While gameplay is decidedly 2D, developers have rendered everything from environments to character models in full 3D. The special effects also deserve special notice. Each locale, or track, in the game has tons of graphical flourishes and they all help to add a level of pizzazz missing from many PSP offerings. All of this makes Rivals look like it belongs on a powerful handheld like the PSP, which is more than can be said of previous efforts.
The game splits into various parts, the biggest of which is the "story" mode. Here, players choose from a roster of familiar characters like Sonic, Shadow and Sliver, then embark on a quest. As fans have come to expect, the struggle in Rivals is against the notorious Dr. Eggman, and this time he's trapping Sonic's friends in pictures. That's right, he's back to making prisoners of cute and furry animals. In order to save them, players pick a hero, each with their own special powers, and head off to fight. Only it's not really fighting so much as racing. See, Rivals strings together a series of encounters between popular faces (Sonic vs. Silver, Shadow vs. Knuckles) and throws in bits of story in between. The narrative and dialogue is sparse, not to mention characteristically lame, but that's expected.
The real action takes place on the track, anyway. Players navigate a collection of themed-courses filled with traps, obstacles and enemies. This is what makes Rivals interesting but also why it gets frustrating, too. Having to contend with barriers and traps is cool, as it adds some challenge, but the intrinsic pace of the franchise makes it difficult - in the wrong kind of way. Winning certain races is a matter of trial and error, since there's no way to avoid some roadblocks when traveling so fast. Late in the game, when seconds really count, slamming into an unforeseen enemy results in catastrophe. It's not all bad, since there's an undeniable level of dynamic strategy when racing a CPU opponent or better, a live player, but it still sucks. When going fast, the last thing anyone wants is to stop, and this happens regardless of skill until a tracks is memorized.
In addition to the range of passive dangers on a course, players also need to deal with other characters. Each one travels at the same speed - they're all fast - but they all have different abilities. Sonic, for instance, has a speed boost while Shadow can forcefully decrease the speed of an opponent. Players need to find special items to trigger these effects, so whoever finds them first while racing is at a great advantage. Courses also have offensive and defensive items sprinkled about - think Mario Kart - which can radically change the flow of a given race. One of the coolest bits, though, are the bosses found at the end of each act in store mode. Instead of racing, boss encounters are more traditional; players actually need to attack weak points and dodge attacks in an enclosed arena.
n addition to store mode, Rivals offers a challenge mode. Here, players can pick a stage, as well as a pair of characters, and race without all the story bits. It's the kind of thing someone can play when they only have a few minutes to spare. The same goes for the wireless multiplayer option - it's basic, yet worthwhile and fun. Sitting in the periphery are collectible cards. Players earn them by winning races. Fortunately, they serve a purpose beyond their "collectible" status. Players can wager cards when racing against each other, or just trade them wirelessly without racing. Plus, each card changes a character's costume, which is a nice extra that some fans may find groovy.
IGN: Sonic Rivals Review
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