Video Game Review: Sonic The Hedgehog (PS3)

In the months leading up to the release of the next-gen Sonic game, the gaming community was bombarded with material hyping it up. Marking the 15th anniversary of the franchise, this game promised to bring life back into a series that was sadly in dire straights for many years. After much anticipation, the game was finally released. Did it meet up to the hype? Did it succeed in revitalizing the Sonic franchise? Well the answer to that my dear readers is no.

I’m by no means the first person to point out the problems with this Sonic game. So instead of re-hashing the things I’m sure you’ve heard already, I would like to take a more personal approach with this post. I would like to share my personal feelings on this game and attempt to express to you just how much this game hurt me.



As the game starts, it quickly becomes apparent that Sega has once again decided to bring more new characters into the series. Now I have two big problems with that.

Firstly, I’m sick of seeing all the new human characters that have popped in the recent Sonic games. The more human characters that appear in the games, the more I feel the series is pulling away from its true form. To me, Sonic games should feature exclusively anthropomorphic animals with the only exception being Dr. Robotnik.

My second problem with the new characters is the simple fact they’re unnecessary when you look at the already extensive library of Sonic characters. You already have all the characters that have been introduced in the mainstream game series, the fan loved characters like Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Rogue, and Shadow. On top of those characters, you also have the characters from the famed cartoon series, which to date have never been utilized in any major Sonic game.

Yet despite all those existing characters, Sega feels compelled to introduce more and more new blood. Why can’t they just focus on developing the characters they already have? Honestly it would be a lot easier for them. It’s not like fans are crying out for new characters. So just stick with what you have, stick with what’s already working. Don’t take unnecessary risks.

In terms of plot, this game barely even feels like a Sonic game. Heck, with Sonic constantly running around saving some bimbo princess, it actually feels a lot more like a Mario game.

The game play isn’t really that bad. For the most part the controls will do what you want them to do. However every so often they’ll get a little wonky. Like all other 3-D Sonic games to date, this game is plagued with many bugs and glitches.

The load times for this game are numerous and lengthily. I can’t for the life of me understand why the game has so many horrendous load times. I’m playing the game on a $400 piece of equipment, playing it on a “next generation” console, playing it on machine that’s capable of playing high quality Blu-Ray discs. Yet despite all that power, I still find myself with load times on par with Playstation 1.

There are many other things I could rant on about this game, but I really don’t feel like it. The more I think about this game the more depressed I become. Once again a Sonic game has let me down, once again I’m left only with empty regret.

I would sit here and say that I will never buy another Sonic game again, say that I’ve given up completely on Sonic. But to say that would be a lie. For I know all to well that when the next game rolls around, I will eagerly eat it up. No matter what piece of crap Sonic Team pops out, my true love of Sonic will always lead me back.

Sometimes it’s just really hard to be a fan.