We already know how big of a deal it is that Sonic Origins exists. We raved about it in our review, after all. Finally getting a Sonic 3 & Knuckles re-release after a decade in legal limbo (and a full-on Headcannon remaster at that)? Experiencing the Taxman and Stealth remasters of Sonic 1, 2 and CD on home console and PC? Some minor bugs aside, the overall quality and sheer importance of this release made it instantly worth buying by default.
But now, a year later, SEGA is offering an expansion in the form of Sonic Origins Plus. Will it similarly be worth your money? All signs point to ‘yes’ – with some caveats.
Continue reading TSS Review: Sonic Origins Plus
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They say that a work of art tends to be a reflection of the thoughts and feelings of the artist who made it. If that’s the case, then Sonic Team has been a studio seemingly crushed with anxiety for the last five years, because Sonic Frontiers is a game uncharacteristically drenched in melancholy, introspection and sadness.
From the wistful empty fields and abandoned temples of Kronos Island, to the hauntingly isolationist undertones of the soundtrack and even the narratives driving Sonic and his friends (no spoilers here, don’t worry), there’s something strangely unsettling about the vibe of Sonic Frontiers.
Continue reading TSS REVIEW: Sonic Frontiers
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Sonic has been running for 31 years now, and yet of all of his adventures to date the original Mega Drive games still remain fan favourites. It’s no wonder that most of these timeless classics have been re-released in countless compilations over the years, but Sonic Origins stands out by daring to do something a little different this time around.
Continue reading TSS REVIEW: Sonic Origins
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You’d be forgiven for wondering if the success of the first Sonic the Hedgehog movie was a total fluke. After all, were it not for intense community feedback (and eventually the artistic talents of Tyson Hesse), the blue blur’s big-screen debut would have surely flopped. But with a car crash swiftly avoided, and the fanbase on-side as a result, it would have been easy for Paramount to rest on its laurels and phone it in for the sequel. Especially with the introduction of rival Knuckles the Echidna to automatically guarantee fan support.
Continue reading TSS Movie Review: Sonic the Hedgehog 2
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It’s crazy to think that one of the best Sonic the Hedgehog games has been sat in console purgatory for over ten years, locked to (and in way, limited by) Nintendo’s Wii hardware. As a result, Sonic Colours has been in a strange sphere of existence in the eyes of Sonic fans; a game that many haven’t played, most definitely want to play but at the same time is seen as some sort of aberration in the series – most likely because of its graphical performance compared to competing consoles PS3 and Xbox 360 at the time.
Continue reading TSS Review: Sonic Colours Ultimate
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We take our seat at the movies to review the orchestral score to the Sonic the Hedgehog motion picture! Continue reading TSS Review: Sonic the Hedgehog Motion Picture Soundtrack
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There was once a time where the idea of two bitter industry rivals sharing the same game (let alone the same console) would have you laughed out of the school playground; yet, Mario and Sonic have been collaborating with each other for over a decade now. In this latest installment for the Nintendo Switch, we find the two beloved platforming mascots once again battling for gold in the Olympic Games, and it’s a concept that may have lost its initial novelty. Does that mean that the game is doomed to fail? Far from it: there’s actually a fair bit to appreciate here!
Continue reading TSS Review: Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020
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Sonic Racing was one of the first titles announced for Apple Arcade, a subscription service exclusive to Apple devices meant to provide mobile gaming experiences free of loot boxes and microtransactions. As one of the service’s premiere exclusives, does Sonic Racing make good on Apple’s promise for better mobile gaming?
Continue reading TSS Review: Sonic Racing
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It says a lot about Sumo Digital’s developing competence when the team can create a sequel to a much-loved racing spinoff series, nearly seven years after the last entry, on (seemingly) a much tighter budget, and yet still manage to find ways to make the experience appear like a full-priced premium package. Continue reading TSS Review: Team Sonic Racing
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Last year’s explosive release of Sonic Mania wasn’t just about a game that ended up thrilling both new and old blue blur fans. It was also proof that a brand new, ‘classic’ style 2D Sonic title will sell – and sell it most certainly did, cementing itself in the annals of hedgehog history. But, while widely regarded as one of the most critically-acclaimed Sonic titles in recent memory, there were some clear presentation omissions and missing elements in the base game – elements that you would think Christian Whitehead and co would have included, if they were just given more time to bake it in.
Enter Sonic Mania Plus. Continue reading TSS REVIEW: Sonic Mania Plus
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It can be hard to produce a companion app for a high-profile console game. If you get it wrong, it can largely be seen as a cynical micro-transaction-heavy cash grab, or at the very least, a poor afterthought. Which is why it’s good news that SEGA Networks’ Hardlight Studio was tasked with building a new mobile experience to coincide with the launch of Sonic Forces. Continue reading TSS REVIEW: Sonic Forces Speed Battle (iOS)
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Note: This review qualifies as mostly ‘spoiler free’, but it does contain information on stages, gameplay elements.
It’s odd to think it’s been so long since the last major Sonic the Hedgehog release from Sonic Team. In fact, it’s just over six years since the release of Sonic Generations for the 20th anniversary. I’m sure there were raised eyebrows as the 25th anniversary came and went without an A-list title, but perhaps the majority let this pass as the fandom became gripped amidst ‘Sonic Mania’. Continue reading TSS Review: Sonic Forces
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Note: This review qualifies as ‘spoiler free’, but it does contain information on stages, gameplay elements and story concepts that have already been made public by official SEGA marketing channels. Be aware, if you’ve been on a total media blackout.
In the middle of Sonic Mania’s main adventure mode, Sonic is warped to the Little Planet and finds himself in a spectacularly familiar place. Golden speakers line a series of curvy narrow chutes that catapult our blue hero into the sky, against a starlit backdrop. Continue reading TSS REVIEW: Sonic Mania
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As perhaps one of the most highly-anticipated collector’s items in recent memory, Cook & Becker’s 25th Anniversary Sonic art book has a lot of expectations to meet. It’s not easy to produce an elegant video game-themed art book at the best of times, so working on such a project for a franchise as iconic as Sonic no doubt comes with extra pressure. Especially when the blue blur has been through so many design changes over the years. We recently got our hands on a copy; is it worth your hard-earned money? Continue reading TSS REVIEW: Cook & Becker’s Sonic the Hedgehog 25th Anniversary Art Book
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LEGO and Sonic the Hedgehog. Now there’s two things we never thought we’d see officially put together in the same product. Sure, maybe it’s not as earth-shattering a crossover as the Mario & Sonic series (I mean, who’d have ever seen that one coming, and at the Olympic Games no less?!), but it’s just as mind-bogglingly unthinkable. But, then again, almost anything is possible in the crazy world of TT Games’ LEGO Dimensions. You know what’s even crazier though? This bonkers mash-up of blue blurs and bricks is arguably the best thing to come out of Sonic’s 25th anniversary celebrations this year.
Continue reading TSS Review: LEGO Dimensions Sonic the Hedgehog Level Pack
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Emphasis on the dozen, add more yolks.
If the history of fiction has proven anything, it’s that villains are far more likely to be more fun to watch than the heroes. So a natural way to get a great arc on paper is to shove all your villains in one place and see how it unfolds. Eggman’s Dozen does exactly that, but will it prove the perfect dish or be a case of putting all the eggs in the wrong basket? Read on and find out!
Continue reading TSS Review: Eggman’s Dozen
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Mario and Sonic was always the topic at the Copa. With the Olympics just weeks around the corner, Mario and Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games for the Wii U is finally out on the shelves. Promising more characters, better graphics, 14 Olympic events and an array of content, will this game have you partying like you’re in Maracanã, or will you be left thinking of it as Barren da Tijuca?
Continue reading TSS Review: Mario and Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (Wii U)
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The biannual bash of gaming’s top titans is here again and it’s a far more enjoyable fare than a certain recent movie featuring two other huge fictional rivals. Mario and Sonic return to the Olympics with their biggest roster ever and a surprisingly meaty single-player experience. However, with this being the fifth outing for this mascot sports series, is it too much of the “same-old, same-old”, or is there enough meat in the portable outing to be worth a purchase? Continue reading TSS Review: Mario and Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (3DS)
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Now… the last time I wrote about a First4Figures statue in detail was back in 2013, and it wasn’t exactly a happy experience, my statue along with several others had a number of problems, mysterious black marks, badly manufactured joints to name but a few. This, combined with problems with a number of previous statues finally broke the camels back. So I cancelled all my outstanding orders for statues with them, since then I have not bought another F4F product, that rule was in place for me until I saw evidence that they were taking their quality control seriously.
And oh boy, how they have gone above my expectations. Continue reading TSS REVIEW: First4Figures Tornado Exclusive Edition Diorama
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Freemium. A word almost associated with fear to many nowadays. You hear the horror stories everywhere – a kid downloads a little free app, next thing you know their parent’s bank accounts are emptied and they have 500 coins of in-game currency to spend. It’s becoming so bad that Apple themselves need to offer consumers the ability to block these purchases from happening, and even market against them. It’s an undeniably profitable market, one which Sonic has dabbled in before. Continue reading Initial Impressions: Sonic Runners (iOS/Android)
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This whole Sonic Boom business has been a bit of a rollercoaster ride, hasn’t it? Announced in February alongside the CG cartoon of the same name, the third and final entries in Sonic’s Nintendo exclusivity deal – Rise of Lyric for Wii U and Shattered Crystal for 3DS – were the source of much speculation and debate. Not only did it signal the start of a whole new branch of the franchise, one where the convoluted mistakes of the past could be wiped clean and start afresh, but the games were being handled by a whole new development studio. Sonic Team, for better or worse, were taking a back seat this time to Big Red Button and Sanzaru Games – both newcomers to the series – which meant we could expect a brand new take on the characters we all know and love… and boy oh boy, a brand new take is certainly what we got. Continue reading TSS Second Opinion: Sonic Boom (Wii U/3DS)
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Giving exploration incentives in a platformer can be a tricky business. It can be a fun aspect or make your game an absolute chore. Sonic Colors does it very succesfully by having you look for red rings to unlock bonus levels. Unleashed does it poorly as it forces you to look around for sun and moon medals to progress to new stages. Many times making you return to some boring, 30-minute Werehog level desperatley looking for sun medals so you can get a new, fun daytime level with Sonic. Sanzaru Games’ Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal works both ways. At best, it can be a thrilling, fun platformer where you’re going a a full speed flow. Juggling homing attacks, enerbeam swings, springs and speed boosts into a beautiful blend that feels like a mesh of classic Sonic and Sonic Rush. At worst, you’re contantly stopping your character without pausing to scroll the bottom map and look for blueprints and crystal shards you need to progress further in the game like your on GameFAQs. Ironically, it’s usually on the exact same level. Continue reading TSS Review: Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal
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Can you believe it’s been over 10 years since Sonic X left the airways? We’ve had a long time to debate the good and bad of Sonic X , love it or hate it, it’s been 10 years since the last Sonic cartoon, unless you include Night of the Werehog. Continue reading TSS Review: Sonic Boom Episode 1 & 2
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If you used to watch a show called ‘The X-Files’ you know that poster Mulder has in his office? The one with the UFO and the words “I want to believe” below it? That’s how I’ve felt regarding Jazwares toys lately. Especially their Metal Sonic plush. Would you believe that this was first shown in a complete form way back in January 2012? Since then it’s been used on the Jazwares website, made a random appearance a year later at another toyfair event and been cancelled. With no new toys at this years fair and more cancellations of products… it didn’t look good.. Continue reading TSS Review: Jazwares Metal Sonic Plush
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I’m sure I am not alone when I say I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve purchased Sonic the Hedgehog 2 in various incarnations, be it through a port to a 7th gen console or a compilation release over the last decade. Yet, SEGA keep coming back to these classic titles in order to capitalise on those still reminiscing of a golden age, and indeed I keep coming back to these epitomes of gaming on the Megadrive. I might have been apprehensive in purchasing this game once more, had it not been for the involvement of the now legendary Taxman and Stealth in this port, and going off their incredible rebuilds of Sonic 1 and Sonic CD for iOS and Android I couldn’t resist. Continue reading TSS REVIEW: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (iOS)
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The Mario & Sonic series is one that I personally have a lot of history with. I remember almost exploding with excitement when the first title was announced – my two favourite videogame characters, together at last! Sure, it wasn’t the ideal crossover scenario everyone wanted and the game itself wasn’t anything that special, but I lapped it up for sheer novelty value alone, alternating between the Team Mario and Team Sonic t-shirts that came as pre-order bonuses while I shook my Wii Remote around in glee. Continue reading TSS Review: Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games (Wii U)
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From the moment of its official unveiling, Sonic Lost World was poised to drift away from certain standards of games past, making this new title one of the most anticipated games of the year. Gone was the Boost, making way for a fusion of Genesis-era gameplay and parkour-inspired controls! Although, while eyes were certainly glued to any and all information of the Wii U release, many questions arose concerning the Nintendo 3DS version that would surely follow, especially with it being the first ever 3D handheld Sonic game. With Dimps once again behind the wheel, has the Osaka-based developer crafted a solid Sonic handheld experience with its first venture into 3D territory, or has this game only met with 3 dimpmensions of sorry expectations? Does Sonic Lost World 3DS stand on its own apart from Sonic Lost World Wii U, or does it fall short of grabbing that ledge and fall straight down? Let’s dive right into the mellow and find out!
Continue reading TSS Review: Sonic Lost World (3DS)
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Without a doubt, Sonic the Hedgehog has been making something of a comeback in recent years. After falling to his lowest point in the mid-2000s, SEGA’s blue mascot has slowly but surely been climbing his way back onto the pedestal he proudly stood upon in his early days. Sonic Colours propelled him into relevance once more, while the time-travelling anniversary adventure of Sonic Generations cemented his newfound return to form. The question is – with a brand new gameplay style to show off, does the Nintendo-exclusive Sonic Lost World see the hedgehog grab the edge of success with a well-executed parkour move? Or does it buck the trend and see him stumble, falling back down towards the depths of mediocrity from whence he came? Continue reading TSS Review: Sonic Lost World (Wii U)
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For 15 years, Funko have been making products based on characters from pop culture. Their range is expansive with hundreds of franchises and over a thousand different products. They’re also no stranger to the Sonic brand. A few years ago they made several Sonic toys based on their Wacky Wobblers line, so it’s not like this is the first time they’d had a go with the Sonic license. However, it is the first time that they’ve used the Sonic license for their ‘Pop! Vinyl’ line. Now the Funko Pop range has a certain ‘style’ to it, so how do Sonic, Tails and Knuckles look after their Funko Pop transformation? Well… Continue reading TSS Review: Funko’s Sonic the Hedgehog ‘Pop!’ Vinyl Figures
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The Sonic Show begins a new series of indepth video reviews of some of the more interesting pieces in the world of Sonic merchandise. Continue reading 10th Anniversary Sonic Crystal Video Review
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Following close in the wake of Sonic Jump, Sonic Dash seems like an obvious choice in format for a portable Sonic game; an endless runner for a hedgehog who is reknowned for running. On this basis, Sonic Dash can be forgiven for being a near carbon-copy of the popular Temple Run… in fact it is slightly surprising SEGA hadn’t thought of this idea earlier! Continue reading TSS Review: Sonic Dash (iOS)
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Game-breaking bugs, choppy framerates, and controversial reviews – these are just three of the things that have plagued the Wii U version of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed prior to its release. Indeed, it’s not unfair to say that people have been somewhat skeptical about the blue hedgehog’s first leap onto Nintendo’s new console, especially when compared to the 360 and PS3 counterparts of the same game. But now that Sonic has launched alongside the Wii U, are this version’s exclusive features enough to help it speed ahead of the pack? Or has it turned out to be the runt of the litter? Continue reading TSS Review: Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (Wii U)
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You know… Every time I hear the words “kart racer” I always have a negative thought. Am I wrong to do that? Let’s think about it for a moment. How many times have we seen a random character or series suddenly decide that they can make a video game? The result is usually a random party game or… “kart racer”. Crazy Frog, DreamWorks Super Starz Kartz, Wacky Races, Beanotown Racing and even Disney have made either a very poor or incredibly average “kart racer”. Yes, there are some very good kart racing games out there, but considering how the bad vastly outnumbers the good, I can’t be alone with instantly coming to a negative disposition when I hear “there is a new karting game starring *insert character/series here*”. Continue reading TSS Review: Sonic & All Stars Racing Transformed
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It seems funny to think why this has taken so long to make, Sonic is over 20 years old, yet I could name franchises not even half that age which have more printed publications like this. Why it took Sonic 20 years to catch on is anyone’s guess. But, we finally have it! An official history of Sonic the Hedgehog, published by Pix’n Love, fully authorized by Sega.
Continue reading TSS Review: Pix’N Love’s The History of Sonic The Hedgehog
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Sonic 4: Episode 2 has got a tough, uphill road to climb. While critics loved the first Sonic HD game in 2-D, many fans were outraged by its poor physics, unoriginal levels with cheesy gimmicks and uninspired boss fights. Add to that, the far superior gameplay of Sonic Generations and many gamers may already be dismissing this next chapter while critics who praised the first game are already looking at this second chapter with a more discerning eye. Continue reading TSS REVIEW: Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II
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Now, before I go into this review it should be noted that I’ve been a big fan of Dimps works up until late. Sonic Rush was one of my favorite Sonic games and I loved the first two Advance games. But lately, they seem to have been faltering. Sonic Colors on the DS was basically another Rush, but not quite as good as the previous two and incredibly sub-par compared to the Wii version. Sonic 4 I felt had good level design and was decent enough for a downloadable title, but the odd physics turned many people off. Now, they have their hands on their first foray onto the 3DS. Continue reading TSS Review: Sonic Generations (3DS)
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