IGN Joins List of Promising Sonic Colors Reviewers

IGN Joins List of Promising Sonic Colors Reviewers

Reviews have been slowly trickling in for awhile now, and so far we’ve yet to get anything less than an 8. IGN joins the club with it’s review today.

Closing Comments
Sonic Colors is a dizzying combination of the distantly familiar memories of the first few Sonic titles combined with thoughtful new abilities and mostly well executed level design. There are a few issues that mar an otherwise awesome experience, but those shouldn’t stop Sonic fans and Wii owners from grabbing the best Sonic game in 18 years. As a blueprint for the future of SEGA’s star, Sonic Colors delivers, and then some.

7.0 Presentation
While Sonic Colors’ story is forgetable fun, the menus and level menus are pretty rough, and don’t match the great visuals found elsewhere.

9.0 Graphics
Sonic Colors is one of the best looking games on Wii, with great animation and detail, and some awesome lighting and level variety.

8.5 Sound
Sonic’s new voice cast is much less annoying. Meanwhile, the music is universally great.

8.5 Gameplay
Sonic Colors features tight controls with great level design; all of these things lead to a game that’s a joy to play. Except when it REALLY ISN’T due to some puzzling stage design later on.

8.5 Lasting Appeal
While the main game itself will probably clock in around 11 hours or so for most gamers, levels are more fun after beating the game and the challenge levels will also keep players busy for a while.

8.5
OVERALL
Great
(out of 10)

I highly recommend you read the full review here. For those of you who are finally off the fence and intend to buy the game, check out our guide to Sonic Colours’ release.

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Published by

Nuckles87

Nuckles87 has been an editor at Sonic Stadium since 2007, and has been covering events like E3, PAX, and SDCC since 2010. An avid retro gamer, he runs a monthly stream on Twitch where he explores obscure Sonic oddities, and how aspects of the franchise have evolved over the decades.

95 Comments

  1. Well i’m happy about that really πŸ˜€

    Well done Sonic Team you really done it right πŸ™‚

  2. “…the best Sonic game in 18 years.”

    !8 years? Shouldn’t they be saying ’16 years’? Cause that’s when Sonic & Knuckles was released. IMO, I would argue that we never had a colourful and brilliantly crafted 3D Sonic game since Sonic Heroes, dispite the camera.

  3. Sonic Unleashed was pretty colourful
    But it’s fantastic news to hear it’s doing so well, can’t wait to play it this Thursday haha!

  4. I’m so happy! This is the first 3D Sonic game in about 6 or 7 years (since Sonic Heroes) that IGN gave a great review to. I hope that Sega and Sonic Team continue to keep going in this direction for Sonic in future games.

  5. 18 years? Since Sonic 2 was released in late November, that includes every major Sonic game after Sonic 1.

  6. Sonic 3 and Sonic Knuckles were originally planned to be one game anyways. They had to split it because they weren’t capable to store all that memory in one cartridge. If they did, he definetely would’ve said 16 years because it’d be the best of the classics.

  7. Watching the review right now. They seem to give it a lot of praise, then give it a fairly good score.
    I guess I’m happy with this review, but seriously, I still haven’t heard a well written review on this game… something about all the previous ones just didn’t speak out to me.
    Oh well, 4 days left for me, I’ll probably end up giving it about a 10/10 XD

  8. well 8.5 anyone feel that grade is to low for all the videos i saw the game is sometimes hard like ign says but it is bad a hard game and the difficulty in the puzzles ign complain because the sonic games are to easy since sonic heroes and it is strange see a sonic hard game well thats my opinion

  9. It’s a great score, but it’s still a typical IGN review in my book: Not enough in-depth information, complaints that sounds like a plus to me (high difficulty level for example), tooting into the same “so many Sonic game were bad” horn. Same goes for their Colours DS review.

  10. Wow, awesome review! Now I’m really excited to hear the full soundtrack, if it’s really as good as the Genesis/Mega Drive ones like the reviewer claims. But yeah, I’m really happy with this whole “Sonic Cycle is broken” thing going on now, maybe now we can finally stop hearing about it. -_-

    Good job Sonic Team!

  11. Why IGN always takes points away from Sonic games because of the difficulty? I’d thought people were complaining about how will be an easy kids game and they’re complaining about how the later stages in the game is hard. -_- Make up your minds!

  12. Dammit, you guys! 8 days for us across the pond! Also, it seems that you can choose your Sonic-Bot’s colo(u)r, as evidenced by the video review. I spy with my little eye, green Sonic! Looks like Barry the Redhog has some competition!

  13. (One day, the game reviewers had reviewed sonic colors and they said it was good)

    seeing the game review Luke said, “Ah, the colors reign over the reviewers and the world is returned to peace. Its simply a miracle, we have been saved by a miracle!”

    Will p pops out and replies,”I told you didn’t I? There was no way sonic was gonna let something like that happen… again.”

    Luke replies back,”And right you were, STILLLLLLLLLL, we can’t live without sega’s good ideas, we all must be werehogs, we all must figure out our past. A good sonic game was always a part of me, just as much as a bad one was. It may be that sonic games were never really bad, but were merely hated on to join a common interest and be popular on the internet. A good sonic game grows strong over the years, rises up, and is put slumber by the reviewers and public. Perhaps that is the balance we must accept between our opinions and the public. That balance, whining, and bitching may be the very will of sonic team themselves.

    “Save that douchbaggery for later homeskillet, we gotta get things ready for mario party 57!”said Will p.

    “Aww shit! I totally forgot! LETS GOOOO!” said luke.

  14. About time.

    Good thing I pre-ordered the game ages ago and don’t have to worry about anything πŸ˜›

    Finally the Sonic Cycle is gone.

  15. 11 hours is more than I expected! Of course anything is after Black Knight. 😑

    love the image btw cool pic bros

  16. one other thing I’ve never understood this β€œSonic Cycle” thing…..wasn’t it the reviews and public’s jokes about Sonic 06? after its release

    To me there was never a Sonic Cycle they were just spin offs that could have improved Have you guys actually thought about it?

    Some had good stories but difficult gameplay and only one was opposite

    I DON’T THINK THERE EVER HAS BEEN A SONIC CYCLE , NO SUCH OF THING OF IT.

    It really confuses me :/

  17. I STILL HATE IGN THOSE IGNORANT B******* THEY WERN’T FAIR ON SOME OTHER GAMES

    I KNOW ITS BEEN 2 YEARS BUT SONIC UNLEASHED XBOX/PS3 VERSION DID NOT DESERVE A 4.5 AND I GOT A LOWER SCORE THAN SONIC 06 WTF?

    IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A 7.5

    ANYWAY I DON’T LIKE THIS REVIEW EITHER ALWAYS COMPLAIN ABOUT DIFFICULTY I MEAN SEGA SAID IT WAS FOR YOUNG AND OLD SONIC FANS TO HAVE A CHALLENGE AND GET INTO IT

    IGNORANT NOOBS!

  18. @C.J

    You know it’s idiots like you that really make the Sonic fanbase look bad. And don’t type your entire reply in all caps. It just makes you look like a complete fag and you don’t get your point across. Stop crying about the past. Deal with it. It’s gone and happened. Be happy about this wonderful game that we’ve been given NOW, the game that IGN has reviewed NOW and given a good score to. Either that or just shut up and get out.

    @shadowzac

    Honestly really? Whilst the Werehog wasn’t too terrible it wasn’t “AWESOME” at all. The levels lingered on for unnecessarily long, the mechanics were generic and uninspired, the pacing was slow and overall it was just tedious and clumsy. The thing that made Unleashed any fun at all were the day levels.

    But hey, forget Unleashed. This is where it’s at now!!

  19. UH OKAY NUMBER ONE MY KEYBOARD IS BROKEN AND I CANT TAKE THEM OFF AND THE SHIFT BUTTON DOESN’T WORK SOMEHOW

    SERIOUSLY ASK AND THINK BEFORE TYPING -___-‘!”!!!!!!!Β£!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    AND PEPOLE NEED TO REALISE SONIC CANT ALWAYS RUN ALL THE TIME THE WEREHOG WAS OKAY

    ITS THE MEDALS AND BUH WORLDS THAT RUINED THE FUN

  20. Well..whoever at IGN reviewed the game obviously never played the adventure series. But i’m glad that this game will be good. Looking forward to next week after some black ops, and AC brotherhood

  21. @theWaffleFactory

    You, good sir, are a god of humor.

    @C.J.

    1. If your shift keys don’t work, then how the hell can you type asterisks or exclamation points!? You are obviously just cyber-screaming at the top of your lungs. Calm down.

    2. If you like Sonic Unleashed, don’t bitch if someone else doesn’t like it, especially when it’s been two freaking years since it was released. Get over it.

    3. IGN gave Sonic 06 a 4.0, which is .5 lower than their rating for Sonic Unleashed. Whoever said they rated Unleashed lower than 06 is retarded.

    4. The Werehog was only okay at best. The night stages were cheap rip-offs of God of War that got boring after the first time. The replay value in the stages are the items, medals, and a good, old-fashioned s-rank, but since you were bored, you’d rather play the daytime stages.

    5. The hub worlds were small and easy to navigate around, so I don’t personally see it as a problem at all. At least it’s MUCH better than the boring, point-and-click hubs in the Wii/PS2 version.

    6. You need to read this: http://www.sonicstadium.org/articles/2010/10/trolls-whod-have-them-2-electric-boogaloo/

  22. C.J :
    IGN gave that review based on their opinions. Not anyone elses’. If they felt Sonic Unleashed was worse, that’s their decision; not yours.

  23. @krazeeKidd102
    To be fair about number 2, Sonic 06 used to be 4.8 before they bumped it down.

  24. @C.J

    The others are right you have to let it go

    As much as hate IGN you have to accept everyone does have their own opinions

    Sega tried to do something different and it turned out most fans didn’t like it so after listening to the complaints it was time for change for something different (Listening to us)

    And look whats happend ….Sure there may have been some disapointing news for half of the fans (4Kids Cast being replaced) while the other half of fans were happy

    But changes happen we need to try and accept it and move on…I know it feels different but we can’t always get what we want.

    Please try and respect other people’s opinions in the future please.

  25. @krazeeKidd102
    Look, I agree with you that people need to chill, past is past and all that, buuut:

    http://xbox360.ign.com/objects/749/749072.html
    http://xbox360.ign.com/objects/142/14242719.html

    and yes, I realise itΒ΄s the 360 version that got a 4.8 and the ps3 got a 4.2… but whatever, just stating the facts.

    Whatever though.. I never gave a crap about review scores when it came to sonic games, and because of that, iΒ΄ve gotten enjoyment out of every damn title (some more then others… ok, ALOT more i suppose) but letΒ΄s all just be friends ok? πŸ˜€

    I mean, cΒ΄mon guys, you couldnΒ΄t have forgotten SonicΒ΄s good old Sonic Adventure motto?

    “I never look back, IΒ΄ve got no regrets.”

  26. AU (Australaisia)- 11th November

    EU (europe)- 12th November πŸ˜€

    NA (North America)- 16th November

  27. C.J Shut up and stop acting like a newfag/troll.

    This is the BEST news I’ve heard all day! I knew Sega had it in them, they just needed to find the right key elements that make 3D Sonic games work right. They almost had it with Unleashed, which I thought was awesome. Also, up yours Sonic Cycle! I have to get this game asap.

    Sega can celebrate now and I wish them good luck in their future Sonic titles!

  28. Excellent review…FINALLY!!! Two things I have to disagree with…

    1. Difficulty Spikes…Sonic games have always had ridiculous difficulty spikes towards the end, Scrap Brain Zone, Winged Fortress Zone, Lava Reef Zone Act 2…I see difficulty spikes as challenges, it’s better than the game being too easy.

    2. They took points off for playing the levels in order…that’s almost a dumb complaint coming from IGN, come on!!! How many Sonic games have their been where you can play the levels out of order?…don’t worry I’ll wait…

  29. I have a problem with the comment on difficulty. If a game doesn’t get harder in later levels there’s no difficulty curve. They’ve given warning signs, worked with bottomless pits, etc, and still the game is considered too hard? For goodness sake, the example they give in the video review is terrible- it’s someone purposefully falling through the platforms in Planet Wisp.

    Whatever. I’m still glad they gave it a decent review, even so. It looks like our cycle begins anew- hopefully with good games this time.

  30. Wow,usually IGN gives sonic games such low ratings,is the world ending? But that’s great sonic colors is looking this good!

  31. @Truesonic

    I DON’T RESPECT PEOPLES’ OPINIONS ANYMORE BECAUSE IM ASHAMED TO BE IN SUCH A ARROGSNT SONIC FANBASE

    ITS ALWAYS UGH MAKE A GOOD GAME SONIC SUCKS ASS, SEGA FAILS, FUCK YOU SEGA ETC ETC

    I’VE HAD IT WITH YOU WHINY FAN BOYS AND GIRLS CALM DOWN FOR CRIKE SAKE AND OF COURSE THERES NO SUCH THING AS SONIC CYCLE WHAT ARE YOU AN IDIOT TRUESONIC?

    YOU KNOW WHAT DON’T BOTHER IM SICK AND TIRED OF THIS ALSO IGN SUCK

    AND RYAN DRUMMOND SUCKED TOO ROGER CRAIG SMITH IS MUCH MORE BETTER THAN HIM

    TO HELL WITH THE TROLLS

  32. @sonicguru

    I think he said 18 years cuz he was saying it’s not just the best since SA2 but the best since Sonic 1 (the concept of Sonic’s existence) XD lol (They’re trying to emphasize how good they think it is =P)

    Personally, I can’t say the soundtrack is THAT great. It’s even with Unleashed to me. I like the music of the Adventure series equal to the classics. so yeah XD

    As for the gameplay, I will find it, as a style, equal to both the classics and adventure series as it seems like it’s better and not as good in different ways, overall making them even. =P Which is good cuz they’re evenly all in 1st place to me then. XD

  33. everyone sorry about the overposts!lol! anyway there’s a youtube channel that has all the sonic colors music ! hurry or sega might take it off fast! go to BrawlBRSTMs channel. go to sonic final boss theme and go to the link in the description!HURRY!!!!!!

  34. I really expected a bad rating just because this is IGN, but if even the biggest Mario fan boys love, then my bet was placed well.
    Best 50 bucks i’m waiting to spend!

  35. Remember there’s a difference between a difficulty curve and a difficulty spike. Spikes are when things suddenly get a bit too difficult compared to the curve you’ve been steadily climbing, and can be annoying if its preventing you from progressing. Ragequitting isn’t just for onlines fpses y’know.

    There’s also a difference between frustration and challenge. Take Super Meat Boy for example. It’s pretty much one of the hardest games out there, but since they’re short levels with infinite lives (which you can also skip and try later if you find it too hard), you don’t feel as frustrated. With Sonic games on the other hand, you’ve got the occassional spacing out of checkpoints and a limited supply of lives. Werehog segments on Unleashed and that bloody rail spiderweb bullcrap from Sonic Heroes are good examples.

  36. @C.J:

    Whoa kid, finger off of the Caps Lock.

    It’s just a game. A fantasy franchise. Don’t get overworked over a fake blue hedgehog.

  37. “8.5 Gameplay
    Sonic Colors features tight controls with great level design; all of these things lead to a game that’s a joy to play. Except when it REALLY ISN’T due to some puzzling stage design later on.”

    I get the feeling IGN had trouble on one level XD Now they know my pain of playing Eggmanland on Unleashed (I still don’t know how I got a B on that level 0o’). Ha ha XD We’re all human!

    Shame that even though I preordered this game, we decided to hold off until Christmas. Grrr. At least the 360 is finally getting fixed, and I can get around to beating Black Knight/Spectrobes. And maybe play some of the levels I skipped in Shadow’s game πŸ™‚

    I hate time limits XD I panic!

  38. How do we know they’re not just saying this and using this method saying all sonic games are good so to stop little kids from complaining.

  39. @ Grassy

    Just B ?? Really πŸ˜€ ? cause last time i checked mine was a BIG S haha,heck i wasn’t even give it my best =) not kidding.

    I’m just waiting to gamespot’s review hope they will stay above the 8 .

  40. @SonicSpeed: Why would IGN say that? If they hate the game and think the game is bad then the reviewer would’ve give it a bad review. They never cared about kids complaining before. Also, it’s not just IGN who gave the game good reviews, you know.

  41. @Tentor: I agree Joystiq seem to hate Sonic.

    It’s a shame that Sonic colors DS is better than Sonic 4, more important that Sonic colors Wii(a 3D Sonic game) beat both Sonic 4 and Colors DS which are 2D.

  42. This is fantastic news. If there’s only one problem with the game that I have, its the boring story. But besides that I think as far as gameplay goes this could actually be the SA2 of this generation.

    What do you guys think?

  43. @ C.J

    Dude, calm down. It’s just a game and everyone is untitled to their opinion. You’re just giving the impression of a rabid Sonic fan with little credentials, someone who slanders others who even show a little negative opinion on Sonic. Here’s an interesting fact I often have to repeat: did you know reviewers are individuals and therefore are going to give seperate opinions? Therefore if the majority give Sonic games low scores it’s just down to critical analysis not some kind of united character hate. I don’t think I’ve read a single professional review that simply slanders Sonic.

    On a seperate note a am tempted to order a copy of Sonic Colours which is a surprise in itself as I have’t actually bought (excluding Sonic 4) a Sonic game in years. I usually rent them. Here’s hoping Sonic Colours lives up to expectations.

  44. Hey, anyone find all of Eggman’s PA announcer clips from the levels funny? lol I can’t believe there’s 11 minutes of that stuff!

    @Kintibor & ProjectZuel

    You guys know that C.J. said his caps lock was stuck right? XD

  45. Is this Game out already because I see people posting up fresh new gameplay of the Wii version and Leaking of the DS Version

  46. heh, I don’t have a wii, but my cousins have, I think I am going to beg them into buying it.

  47. @C.J

    I only said I was confused by the “Sonic Cycle” thing you don’t need to get rude and call me names also You should respect people’s opinions please ITS NOT FAIR ON OTHERS!

  48. @Foxboy Do you know that CJ has been able to use the * key even though his caps lock is ‘stuck?’

    Either way CJ, you will be banned eventually because you keep acting like a fail troll so stfu.

  49. Just watched the gamestrailers review and I have to admit it points out several faults in the game I was kinda hoping would of been learnt from Sonic Unleased. It wasn’t given a bad score at all, thus undoubtfully it will be enjoyable but I really don’t have the money to take that risk it.

  50. 2 points off for menu design in graphics? Oh IGN, you.

    This sounds really cool though. I would be all over this if I weren’t already getting Splatterhouse this month.

  51. @BlueChaos

    Actually I did notice but I forgot until you just reminded me XD. Hmm… lol (Actually, if caps lock makes the defaut lowercase all uppercase on it’s own, then all default number keys should automatically be symbols but they’re not. You have to hold shift… meaning you should be able to and ARE able to hold shift to make the letters lowercase if your caps lock is stuck right? XD So he should be able to talk lowercase regardless of if it’s stuck. =P)

    @Truesonic

    Meh, don’t worry about it. I found their complaints hard to believe considering the footage they played along with it and what they actually complained about. XD (I mean they said the Wisp controls were a little off… and it showed them trying to get rings with the Green Hover Wisp when they should’ve just don’t the ring-dash. XD)

  52. @Truesonic

    O__O…. I can’t decide for you or anyone here…

    but personally I just have to say..

    Sonic Colors rocks like there’s no tomorrow. @__@ That game is all sorts of crazy and creativty covered with a crap load of fun. XD

  53. @BlueChaoos and Foxboy

    ????? I don’t think you understand what I meant by my other comment

    I meant I was shocked that GT gave it a 6.4 :/

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