When I stepped up to the Sonic Colors station at the SEGA booth, I expected to leave with the same distaste of modern Sonic that many (including myself) have nursed for years. To my surprise, I left the Sonic Colors station wanting to play more (which I did after waiting in line a second time).

What’s odd is that few of the ideas are new. What made my time with Sonic Colors so enjoyable was how much better executed these ideas were. I’ve heard the comparison made that Sonic Colors is like playing the daytime stages in Sonic Unleashed. I can understand what these people are trying to say, but the big difference is that what I’ve played of Colors was actually fun.

But what makes Colors succeed where so many other games have failed? If I had to pick the one most important ingredient in the formula, I’d have to say level design. For one, levels aren’t littered with objects at the end of blind corners waiting to stop you unexpectedly and ruin the flow of the game. Even if you do loose your momentum, you can get it back really easily with a boost from the B trigger.

The good games in the series weren’t full speed ahead all the time and neither is Colors. Each level has plenty of slower platforming sections seamlessly mixed in; a series staple from the Genesis games that many modern entries forget to include. These sections break up the pacing of the stages in a positive way rather than feeling like interruptions.

"The drill powerup allows you to burrow through soft ground at incredible speed."

Another very important aspect of the old games that Sonic Colors has in spades is branching paths. The stages of the Genesis games were not linear race tracks, they were a complex network of pathways. Sonic Colors embraces this idea, even adding five secret red rings in each level that encourage you to explore every corner of the stages.

The stages seamlessly transition between a third person view (allowing full, 3D control) and a 2D side-scrolling view. This works really well and serves as another way to successfully break up the pacing, never having you do the same thing for too long.

Oh, and there are aliens. Don’t worry, you don’t have to play as them instead of Sonic. Each colored “Wisp” grants Sonic a new powerup. What’s great about the powerups is that they don’t feel like necessary tools to complete the level. Instead, they act as powerups should, allowing you to get through sections easier and get to secret areas.

One powerup turned me into a drill, able to dig speedily through soft ground where giant gobs of rings and other secrets lay in wait. Failing to grab the powerup would result not only in missing out on the rewards, but not even realizing many of them were there as I ran along the surface of the level.

"Sonic... IN SPACE!!"

Another powerup shot Sonic like a laser in the direction of my choosing. This not only allowed me to travel great distances at lightning speed, but also let me ricochet off surfaces in a near-instantaneous wall jump to access higher areas.

Once you’ve picked up one of the game’s powerups, you aren’t forced to use it right away. You can save it and activate it at the moment of your choosing. All the powerups were, however, one time use. So don’t expect to drill or laser your way through an entire level.

Sonic Colors is no slouch visually either. The great use of shaders makes the game look slick while also running at silky smooth framerates. The stages are also very colorful and interesting to look at, whether it’s a more traditional grassland or a world made of hamburgers.

Immediately after playing Sonic Colors, I played Sonic 4. I know Sonic 4 is what all of us jaded, grumpy fans of the Genesis games have been asking for, but after having played both games, Sonic Colors turned out to be the much more interesting of the two. I can only hope that the full version of Colors doesn’t bog itself down with unnecessary elements as so many past games have. If it dodges that bullet, we might have a good 3D Sonic game on our hands.

Tags: PAX, PAX '10, PAX 2010 COVERAGE, Sega, Sonic, Sonic Colors, Wii

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 8th, 2010 at 11:00 am and is filed under Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.