This is how we’ve done it. A bunch of TSS Staffers wrote over their unique Top 10 (which will be listed at the end of this article). Along with it, a short paragraph as to why they ranked each game the way they did. When bunching all of these lists together, we formed an average by giving points to each game’s placement on each staffer’s countdown (so a #1 position would get 10 points, and a game in 10th place would get 1 point). Add all the points up, and we have our own, not-so-scientific average. What game will get TSS’ #1 Sonic Game of the Decade? Read on, dear reader…

Game of the Decade reviewers: Svend ‘Dreadknux’ Joscelyne, Adam ‘T-Bird’ Tuff, Paul Street, Shadzter, nuckles87 and new challenger – SSMB Moderator Wolfblur.

10. Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood

Paul (placed 5th): “Sonic’s first role playing game and built by RPG masters Bioware, Chronicles gleamed with quality. Fighting was generally fun despite characters randomly missing their attacks more than they should. The levels themselves looked gorgeous in a hand painted style and the story is in my opinion the best seen in a Sonic game ever. Bioware should also be praised for trying to make sense out of the confusing Sonic cannon and an ending that left you begging for more.”

9. Sonic Advance

Svend (placed 2nd): “I fell in love with Sonic Advance the very second I started playing it. It is the closest thing to a ‘Sonic 4′ that has been made in recent years, as Dimps followed the 16-bit template to the letter to create something atmospheric and an absolute joy to play. Those who say it’s not very fast is missing the point – just like the classic Mega Drive titles, Sonic Advance was heavily reliant on pinball physics and multi-tiered level design. Run through any stage, from Secret Base to Angel Island and you’ll no doubt be able to find at least two bona fide paths to the end marker.

The inertia was perfect and when you went fast, you went fast – Dimps even replicated the “going so fast the camera can’t catch up” situations from games past. The music was bouncy, cheerful and above all, ‘Sonic’y. Egg Rocket Zone remains one of my favourite stages.”

8. Sonic Mega Collection

nuckles87 (placed 1st): “Alright, I’ll admit this is a bit of a cop out, but any Sonic fan has to be able to admit that having the entire Genesis library in a single disc is about the best thing a Sonic fan can ask for, even if you think Sonic 06 and Shadow the Hedgehog are the best games ever. It’s not just the quality of the individual games, but the sheer quantity of them: Sonic 1, 2, 3, Sonic and Knuckles and it’s lock on games…and bonus games like Ristar, all help make Mega Collection the best Sonic game of the decade…even if it’s technically made up of Sonic games from the last decade.”

Wolfblur (placed 3rd): “Not really a “new” Sonic game, but without catching this game at a Walmart ages ago, I don’t think I would have gotten back into Sonic at any point soon. Like a lot of people, I played the Genesis games largely back then, and after seeing this collection after a few year mind-blank of the blue dude, I honestly believe that playing Sonic 2 again was the greatest nostalgic point ever in my life. I played, no, still play this collection a shit load.”

7. Sonic Adventure DX

Paul (placed 2nd, but as SA1 on the Dreamcast. Never mind, we threw it in here): “The Dreamcast’s flagship game didn’t disappoint. As mind-blowing for me as Mario 64 was for everyone else, controlling Sonic in a 3D space for the first time (in a full game I mean. I remember Sonic Rush) was truly phenomenal. That the game expanded on the limited fiction from the Genesis games was a bonus as was being able to play through the story as several different characters seeing it from different angles each time.

While the game also introduced the ‘track’ design and innumerable bottomless pits of doom, the imagination of its world and its fantastic story more than made up for it. That no other Sonic game has come close to featuring hub worlds of this quality is telling.”

nuckles87 (placed 4th): “Sonic’s original 3D adventure still remains one of his best. Sure, the fishing levels were a huge pain, but the rest of the game’s gameplay modes where short, simple, and fun. The Adventure fields gave the game a nice since of adventure that it’s predecessor ended up lacking, and the boss battles still stand as some of the best ever done in a 3D Sonic game.”

6. Sonic Rush

Paul (placed 1st): “After Nintendo unveiled its DS for the first time Sonic fans were left wondering how Sega would use the consoles unique set up. The answer was by ignoring the fiddly stylus and concentrating on having Sonic run as fast a possible over two screens. Speed was the name of the game and the thrill of boosting at full tilt through badniks smashing them out of the way is the most fun I’ve had in a Sonic game in the past 10 years.

There’s no hub world stalling the action, no cast of friends slowing the pace down with fishing or shooting galleries, no tacky gimmicks or minigames to contend with and no awkward princess kissing. Even the two new characters the game introduces into the swelling rank of friends and foes are good for a change; Blaze matching Sonic for balls to the wall action and Eggman Nega possibly being more insane than Dr Eggman himself. That Sega would release a sequel including all the unnecessary stylus controlled minigames shows that it totally missed the point in the first games appeal; It’s purely a Sonic game, nothing more, nothing less.”

T-Bird (placed 4th): “I think a lot of older fans had been pining for a good classic 2D Sonic title for a long time, and that was certainly delivered by Rush. With a cracking blend of 2D backdrops and 3D sprites, intermingled with the odd 3D boss level, Sonic Rush seemed like the happy medium. The gorgeous graphics were so well complimented by what is in my opinion the defining feature of the game: the music. Hideki Naganuma’s genius up-tempo sampled beats made this really feel unique, and defined the sound of handheld Sonic games in my opinion.”

5. Sonic and the Secret Rings

Wolfblur (placed 4th): “Once you levelled up a bit in this game, it was a blast! Handling Sonic at those speeds with such easy turning after a while really made it the fastest out of any Sonic game at the point of release. Not to forget the killer soundtrack that I still listen to on my way to work, the music really matched the pace of the game.”

T-Bird (placed 5th): “I think what I loved about SatSR is it broke the mould a bit – this was, remember, before Sonic decided he was a Werehog / should carry a sword / should hang out with Mario. The storyboard sequences (although probably a cost cutting measure) are gorgeous, and the dull palette makes a nice change in tactic from the usual glossy CGI. The wonderful theme-inspired Runblebee soundtrack made this something I could tap my foot to and enjoy as I blasted through the desert.

The party mode extended the replay value on the game ten-fold, and is probably the cause of many repetitive strain injuries, induced by pulling out many carpets from underneath Genies and swinging maces around in the vain hope of knocking Tails off his giant tower before he could retaliate. Slap-Bang in the Sand indeed!”

nuckles87 (placed 5th): “When the Wii first came out, very few games took advantage of what the console could do. Miraculously, one of the first games that did was a Sonic game: Secret Rings was that breath of quality I as a SEGA and Sonic fan desperately needed after having to endure two pieces of crap in a row: Shadow the Hedgehog and Sonic 2006. This game took the speedy gameplay of the Adventure games, put it on rails, and turned Secret Rings into a roller coaster ride. This game would have easily usurped Unleashed’s #2 spot on this list, were it not for one very big mistake: this game forces the player to “level up” to get the best control option. Once that roadblock is overcome though, Secret Rings becomes an incredibly fun game.”

4. Sonic Heroes

T-Bird (placed 3rd): “What isn’t there to like about Sonic Heroes? I don’t think any colours went unused in the incredibly vibrant environments throughout the game, which I think is still considered by a large portion of the community to be the last bastion of the “good” 3D Sonic games. I cannot describe the jubilation I felt when I found out SEGA still remembered they had invented the Chaotix characters many years ago, and that now was the time to revive them in all their Hermit-crab-seeking-Gunnar-Nelson-power-anthem glory. If Crush 40’s third soundtrack appearance didn’t seal the deal, a couple of the guys from a band called Orgy decided to make a kick-arse theme for Team Dark too. For one brief second there, emo was cool.”

Svend (placed 4th): “It’s easy to hate Sonic Heroes. There are common glitches, team play is clunky, Shadow’s back for no reason, the story’s a farce, Metal Sonic’s completely out of character and as a package this seems more like a mockery of the franchise than an asset. But Sonic Heroes has a lot to love about it too, and this is evident when you start to play through the levels as Team Sonic and mostly ignore partner-switching.

The stages were a fantastic throwback to past Sonic games, yet still felt fresh and varied to be worthy of the title ‘Zone’. The music was top-notch, and examples like dashing through the rooftops of Grand Metropolis offered some fantastic platforming. This was the last console outing where the surroundings and atmosphere genuinely -felt- like a Sonic game – Casino Park remains one of the best 3D Sonic levels ever made in terms of design. And if Final Fortress doesn’t send positive shivers down your spine I’d question your Sonic soul.”

Wolfblur (placed 5th): “Though the music adds a lot to it, I think the main reason I love this game so much is simply the atmosphere of it. Something seems less serious about it; more happy-go-lucky “I’m gonna stop ya Eggman ’cause I’m Sonic” sort of feeling. The CGI was awesome at the time of release, and I kinda liked the idea of having a team of 3. Less Egg Pawns though please.”

3. Sonic Rush Adventure

Shadzter (placed 2nd): “The first game in the series was a fresh new experience that brought Sonic back into the sales charts and answered all the fans prayers for an awesome 2D Sonic title. This sequel somehow managed to take the experience from Sonic Rush and improve upon it. All of the fast paced gameplay returns with an improved Story Mode full of character especially with newcomer Marine’s hyper personality. More multiple routes can be found in this game as well as an addictive online multiplayer mode that keeps you playing for months. One of my most replayed games.”

Svend (placed 3rd): “Sonic Rush set the perfect tone for platforming games on the Nintendo DS, and Sonic Rush Adventure just improves on its predecessor in every way (although I’d pip Hideki Naganuma’s fantastic Rush soundtrack over this one). It’s a bit too dialogue-heavy and slow to get into from the start, but the setting is otherwise a welcome innovation – take a speedboat and explore the vast oceans for the Chaos Emeralds and your next Zone.

Playing the levels as either Sonic or Blaze is a dream, and the removal of a few irritations from Sonic Rush (such as enemy rooms) made the ride much more enjoyable. You don’t get Leap of Faith syndrome in this sequel, and the levels themselves are interesting and a fantastic diversion from Sonic’s world of chequered hills. A real breath of fresh air.”

nuckles87 (placed 3rd): “I wasn’t really terribly fond of the Sonic Advance series, but Sonic Rush certainly won me over. Sonic Rush Adventure took it a step further, with slightly better level and boss designs, a well written story that was actually kind of enjoyable, a map to explore, hidden levels to find, and over a hundred challenges to take on. Overall, Adventure did everything slightly better then it’s predecessor, and elements it added, such as the ship minigames, didn’t detract from the game’s fun.”

2. Sonic Unleashed

Wolfblur (placed 2nd): “I could go on about how the day time levels were superb and nearly perfect in my opinion, but everyone’s heard that story. What really grabs me besides that is how well I personally feel the Werehog was handled. For once, a gimmick to a Sonic game that still felt out of place, played really well surprisingly. I think it would have been better to maybe make a structured character with this type of gameplay, but a werewolfy Sonic works I guess. Other than that, everything from graphics to music is really detailed. I loved watching the pretty CG scenes, and it does get more epic than having a whole orchestra play out of key for the E Ranking song.”

nuckles87 (placed 2nd): “This was a bit of a tough decision for me, but in the end, I believe Sonic Unleashed is the closest thing we’ve ever gotten to the quintessential Sonic 3D game. It’s fast, glitch free, colourful, and fun. True, the Werehog can be a bit of a pain, but it’s far better then the alternate play modes in Sonic’s other 3D outings. The fun, simple story, beautiful graphics supported by the Hedgehog engine, and an excellent soundtrack reflecting the world tour Sonic goes on to put the planet back together, certainly add to the enjoyment.”

Paul (placed 4th): “Simultaneously everything that is right and wrong about modern 3D Sonic games, Unleashed is at least a million miles away from the series’ first proper next-gen abortion of a game. The daytime levels are an unadulterated pleasure to play, snapping from 3D to 2D seamlessly and stealing Sonic Rushes boss mechanic wholesale for added enjoyment. It’s only at night does the ugly side of the game rear it’s head, and I’m not just talking about the Werehog. Boring repetitive fights and clunky platforming bog the game down in a mire of dullness. It’s just a good job when you finish the game, as you can play the daytime levels as much as you like and ignore the rest.”

Svend (placed 5th): “This has probably been said a hundred times before, but Sonic World Adventure really is a game of two halves (hyuk). Naturally, the better half was in the daytime side of things, and while I wouldn’t want to see the ‘Sonic Rush in 3D’ implemented beyond this game, it made Sonic World Adventure a very interesting diversion from the stale exploration offered by Sonic 06. And an enjoyable one at that – level design be damned, but who can really resist getting Sonic to blast through 5 miles of virtual real estate every once in a while?

Most of the stages turned the whole affair into something of a memory game, but generally the sheer sense of speed and exhilaration was a welcome one to explore, if only for one game. I didn’t even mind the Werehog nighttime stages for the most part, at least during its platform-heavy sequences. An emphasis on enemy-bashing and irritating level design really let the side down, but for a quick blast through it’s hard not to return to Sonic World Adventure every now and then.”

1. Sonic Adventure 2

Svend (placed 1st): “Despite a lot of fans’ animosity towards the game today, it can’t be denied that as a standalone game, Sonic Adventure 2 remains one of the most outstanding games of the franchise, let alone the decade. Sonic Team gave us a refined platforming experience, coupled with a storyline that didn’t patronise, side missions that felt good to play, reasonable alternative gameplay methods that weren’t a total chore and a soundtrack that told the story as much as the action did.

The twist of Light and Dark was unique and intriguing, and despite the focus on story we still saw some classic failsafe Sonic gimmicks, be it in the upside-down segment of Crazy Gadget or the awesome doppelganger in Shadow the Hedgehog. It was also the only Sonic game to handle Ranks and the last to do replayability really well, as the great level design complemented the system in providing clues to better your score. You wanted to replay each level at your own pace to understand the ins and outs of the stage, and that was the true beauty of Sonic Adventure 2. The game’s impact has been damaged by Sonic Team using it as a template (Shadow and Sonic 06), but as a one-off, tenth anniversary love-letter to the fans, you can’t get much better than this.”

T-Bird (placed 1st): “The crème-de-la-crème of the noughties, and I have a feeling my fellow staffers will have also ranked this high. I don’t think I need to explain why this is number one in my top ten. Sonic Adventure 2 is the apex of Sonic storylines, Sonic gameplay and Sonic music. The re-vamping of the story telling through the Light and Dark arcs really put a slant on the game its predecessor hadn’t been able to.

The gameplay felt slick and varied with speed, mech and hunting missions. The music transcends several genres, and regardless of how corny or cliché it seems at times, everyone will admit there is one track on that game that they have sung in the bathroom mirror with a hairbrush for a microphone. Chao Gardens. Shadow the Hedgehog. Soap Shoes. Live & Learn. Chaos Control. This is surely Sonic Team’s crowning glory of the new Millennium.”

Wolfblur (SA2 Battle placed 1st): “Unleashed almost made this spot, but I had to remember back when I got this game, and how many freaking hours I put into it. All Summer and Fall I spent getting all A Ranks and all the Emblems for everything. And meanwhile, I went Chao crazy. Hours on the Internet, looking up all the interesting types and how to get them was awesome. I think what really sealed the deal for me was having my best friend be just as hooked as I was!

Always repeating Tails’ first level to get Chao drives will be something I’ll never forget. And every time this game got a little stale, going head-to-head with some friends on Battle mode was always a blast. Maybe this being the first 3D Sonic game I’ve ever played had something to do with it, but this is my favorite 3D Sonic game. The story was great to follow, the music drove me to the point to be a musician myself, and the gameplay varied just enough to make the game last years for me.”

Paul (placed 3rd): “Sonic’s second 3D Dreamcast outing is one of the last truly great 3D Sonic games. Sonic, Tails and Knuckles team up to take on new rivals in Shadow and Rouge. Plus Dr Eggman is playable for the first time. The game features probably some of the best set pieces in the series such as bursting into the GUN base as Eggman blasting through security doors, escaping from a helicopter and boarding down city streets as Sonic and grinding along a giant suspension bridge as Shadow. The story was epic and teased actual character progression by it’s conclusion… progression that has been sadly ignored for the most part since.”

Shadzter (SA2 Battle placed 5th): “I love the original SA2 and this game improved it. The characters are full of personality and the story goes into strange new places but doesn’t feel tacked on. Shadow is a great new character even if he is very similar to Sonic, his dark and mysterious back story keeps you engaged right through to the end. Dr. Eggman and Tails mech gameplay wasn’t always fun with Eggman having much more stages than Shadow but it was a nice change of pace between the other 2 types of gameplay.

The Chao Garden was tweaked and put to better use in this game too, with Chao Karate being a little guilty pleasure of mine. My favourite aspect of this game is multiplayer, whether playing with friends or family I always enjoy a good race, battle or treasure hunt. This game has something for everyone.”

So there you have it. Sonic Adventure 2 was a fantastic game back in 2001, and it remains the greatest Sonic the Hedgehog game of the 2000s. Take a bow, Sonic Team, you deserved that win (although to be fair Sonic Team made a lot of these games so a win for them isn’t exactly shocking). What do you think of the final Top 10 of the Decade? Agree? Disagree? Speak out in the comments section, that’s what it’s there for!

Before we go, here are the Top 10s of each staffer, in full:

Svend:

1. Sonic Adventure 2
2. Sonic Advance
3. Sonic Rush Adventure
4. Sonic Heroes
5. Sonic Unleashed
6. Sonic Rush
7. Sonic and the Secret Rings
8. Sonic Advance 3
9. Sonic Rivals
10. Sonic Riders

T-Bird:

1. Sonic Adventure 2
2. Sonic Shuffle
3. Sonic Heroes
4. Sonic Rush
5. Sonic and the Secret Rings
6. Sonic Unleashed
7. Sonic Chronicles
8. Sonic Rush Adventure
9. Sonic Advance
10. Shadow the Hedgehog

Shadzter:

1. Sonic Rivals 2
2. Sonic Rush Adventure
3. Sonic Advance 2
4. Sonic Battle
5. Sonic Adventure 2: Battle
6. Sonic Rivals
7. Sonic Unleashed (HD version)
8. Sonic Unleashed (Wii/PS2 version)
9. Sonic Heroes
10. Sonic Adventure DX

Paul:

1. Sonic Rush
2. Sonic Adventure (we took this as DX)
3. Sonic Adventure 2
4. Sonic Unleashed
5. Sonic Chronicles
6. Sonic Heroes
7. Sonic and the Secret Rings
8. Sonic Rush Adventure
9. Sonic Battle
10. Sonic Advance 2

nuckles87:

1. Sonic Mega Collection
2. Sonic Unleashed
3. Sonic Rush Adventure
4. Sonic Adventure DX
5. Sonic and the Secret Rings
6. Sonic Adventure 2
7. Sonic Heroes
8. Sonic Chronicles
9. Sonic Advance
10. Sonic Gems Collection

Wolfblur:

1. Sonic Adventure 2: Battle
2. Sonic Unleashed
3. Sonic Mega Collection
4. Sonic and the Secret Rings
5. Sonic Heroes

Resident SSMB member ‘KIRBY‘ informed the forums earlier today with some exciting news regarding the release of Sonic Chronicles in Japan. Unlike Europe and America, Japan never saw a release of the game last September, a similar act as with Sonic Rivals 1 and 2′s Japanese no shows. While the majority of Japanese fans simply felt left in the dust, SEGA have finally uploaded a teaser site to the Internet advertising an eastern release for the Nintendo DS turn-based adventure.

Sonic Chronicles was met with mediocre reviews when released in Europe and America last year, with high criticism to the plot and sound track noted. The majority of fans however enjoyed the title, with Bioware’s extensive RPG experience clearly shining through. More information will be uploaded to the website April 10th, hopefully giving us a release date for Japanese fans to look forward to.

Source: SEGA Japan.

You may have seen TSS Staff member Slingerland’s earlier article regarding GameTrailers nominating Sonic Chronicles in their Biggest Disapointment of 2008 category.

Well now, Videogamer.com have made a list of their Top 10 Nintendo Platform Exclusive’s of 2008 and Sonic Chronicles has been given 4th place. Boom Blox made it to 3rd, Zack and Wiki 2nd and Professor Layton 1st. Sonic Chronicles managed to beat the likes of first-party Nintendo titles Mario Kart Wii and Super Smash Bros Brawl. Wow! In Videogamer.com’s top 50 games across all platforms Sonic Chronicles made it to a respectable 43rd place.

In their review Videogamer.com gave Sonic Chronicles a great score of 8/10, the game was praised for it’s graphics and combat.

Do you think the game deserves such high respect? Discuss over at the SSMB topic.

Considering that I (yes, me) was excited for Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood and was absolutely surprised at its mediocrity, it came as no shock to see it nominated for GameTrailers’ “Most Disappointing Game of 2008.”  GT nominated it for Bioware’s inclusion, as they have a reputation as THE studio for RPGs, along with a tedious combat system, unimportant story, and irrelevant dialog sequences to name a few reasons.

Although GT gave the nod to Star Wars: The Force Unleashed for the most disappointing game, which was definitely earned, Chronicles nomination should be a clear enough indication that things need to change.

Nobody knows what to really do. If Bioware, a company with a quality reputation, could not pull off a Sonic game worthy of the franchise, I cannot imagine who can.

I don’t know when the offer ends but it’s likely to be Christmas Eve. If you were holding back on picking this game up because of the price (ya cheapniks) then now is a good time to go get it. The half-price deal is in-store and online.

Gamestation.co.uk

You can find out more about Sonic Chronicles at the game’s official interactivewebsite.

Discuss over at the SSMB topic.

Sorry for taking so long to reveal the results of our latest competition, but I’ve been away for a week and hadn’t had time to run through all of our entries. Thanks so much for everyone that took part – I got a whopping 57 submissions for this contest, and if anything it’s proven that the whole lot of you are proper little thieves in the making. Almost all of the entries involved a Sonic character assaulting or otherwise managing to outright steal candy off of the poor residents of this world.

I’ve had a whole range of characters sent in from Sonic to Big to Metal Sonic and Charmy. Even Marine had an entry. As a fun fact, it will be settling for all of you to know that nine entries featured Shadow holding the homeowner at gunpoint. That’s not slightly worrying at all.

But I have five sets of prizes to give away – a Sonic Chronicles tin and stylus set, plus an additional goodie bag for the entry I found the greatest. So hit the jump to see the winners, and a list of people that took the time to enter…
Our first winning entry comes from Hogfather/Casanova, who provided an awesome account of Cream the Rabbit’s trick or treating by adapting Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven”. The whole thing is rather long, but Hogfather took the time to provide a video of him reciting his adapted poem – click here to listen to it. Well done Hogfather, a pair of Chronicles merchandise goes straight to you.

The second winner is BlitzChris, who wrote of Sonic and Silver teaming up to spook the hell out of Tails, with Sonic wearing a vampire getup and having Silver levitate fake bats… only to have Tails turn the tables on his Trick or Treaters by setting up a Tails Doll to work against the hedgehog duo. You can read BlitzChris’ story by clicking here.

Thirdly, we have an image entry from EYZ. This very nearly won the top prize, actually – it’s not so much based on what the trick or treaters are doing to get candy, but rather what is happening on the other side of the door. Tails and Cream knock on a long lost character’s door to find something rather horrifying themselves. So that’s what Mighty’s been doing since Chaotix…

Stanley Loskot bags the fourth Sonic Chronicles set, with a cute tale about Big the Cat’s Hallowe’en night. Donning a Froggy hat and knocking on Vanilla’s door, he gets scared when greeted by a witch and knocks himself out whilst crashing into some bushes. His friends were kind enough to leave him some sweets while he was unconscious, but not so kind enough by actually leaving him there. Read Stanley’s story by clicking here.

So the super-winning entry, which will bag the author both the Sonic Chronicles tin and stylus pack but also a Sega goodie bag, belongs to ‘TranslucentDuck’ with… Eggman… well, I’ll just quote the whole entry for you.

For a Trick or Treat, Eggman would dress up in a White Sailor Outfit and dye his moustache pure white to match – although it would have a devilishly sharp red racing stripe down either side. He would also be pulling a little child’s trailer, made to look like a Navy ship with a hidden sound system inside.
 
For a Treat:  When the unsuspecting person inside answered the door, Eggman would snap to attention with the perfect salute before reaching down to press ‘Play’ on the sound system. He would then perform a crazy sea-shanty jig as ‘Drunken Sailor’ was blasted from the speakers throughout the entire street. He would continue this until the occupier paid him to go away in sweets. The sweets would go inside his Sailor Hat. Upon receiving the sweets Eggman would perform the perfect curtsy, then dash off through their ornamental garden pond before vaulting the garden wall/fence/hedge and off into the night.
 
For a Trick:   If the person inside refused to give sweets or answer the door, Eggman would use his newest ‘Rowbot’ to hi-jack the TV signal going to the house and then remotely lock the TV so the channel could not be changed, the TV could not be turned off and the TV could not be moved. He would then loop his new DVD, ~ ’Dr. Eggman sings Sea Songs – Including “In The Navy” and “Row, Row, Row Your Boat – LIVE!!’  ~  constently for 2 weeks straight, to drive the occupier to the brink of their sanity. He would also leave subliminal ‘Sailor’ messages everywhere so they would be haunted forever.

Not only is this entry pure genius, it’s very scary indeed. Can you imagine Eggman in a sailor’s outfit doing a sea-shanty? It also wins for its very specific details, all the way down to where the sweets would be deposited to (they go in his Sailor Hat). I would love to see Eggman perform “Row Your Boat” but I’m afraid it would probably break my brain. Well done TranslucentDuck, you earn the respect of Arkham Asylum as well as your prizes.

Well done to all of our winners – honourable mentions (i.e. ‘close, but no cigar’) go to:

• STULF the 20X6 Hedgehog for Hyper Sonic causing Eggman to have a seizure;
• Nicolas the Crow from France with a sweet comic featuring Amy;
• Bronwyn Fraser for a Knuckles ‘Dilemma’ that involves a silly conversation with the man at the door;
• Silva Rymes for a Tikal and Chaos team-up which took a poor unsuspecting homeowner back to the past and scared the living daylights out of him;
• Frédéric Wurm from France, for his art piece that had me in hysterics (what IS up with the broom?); and
• Tasakeru for Yuji Naka’s trick or treat, which had the ex-Sonic Team head turn up in a cheap costume and apologising to the household for the quality of it, promising a much better costume next year. Before kicking them in the nuts and nicking all the candy.

And thanks to all of our other entrants: Ekajra, Mystikite68, Sonic1985, Connor, Danday352, SonicFanGuy, Dave Jones, Wildblue, datkross412, Rally the Cheetah, Jessy Senss, Jackskellinghog, Gareth Spriggs, Concorde Hedgehog, Game Boy, TravisD, Kenyatta Bennett, Veryweridgirly, Nathan Speed, Ashley R. Aparicio, Laura Boudreaux, Tariq, Samantha Pisner, Bryan Mardling, Ravi Singh, Todd Hakusho, Noah Walkdman, Jonathan Manwaring, Chris, Daniel Ochoa, Josh Preputnik, Josh Trow, Kadosho, Quy Hong, Angel C, Sonicfan#1, Scott Burns, Spencer Cotterell, Jon Dixon, KK, Chaos Walker, Marcus Stockley, Indigo Rush, Michael Sandberg, Craig and MK Skillz. (Phew).

You can check out the video on the official Sonic Chronicles site -
UK
U.S.

CRITIC AVERAGE: 75%

• Highest Score: 95% (1UP.com)
• Lowest Score: 60% (PocketGamer.co.uk)

HIGHLIGHTS:

• IGN (6.5/10) lets everybody continue the Sonic community’s on-going trend of bias (ridiculous, by the way) against Sonic with their latest Sonic review.  “Sonic Chronicles isn’t a bad game overall, but it does suffer from a list of things that keep it from being a title we can recommend to just anyone. The character balancing is strong, the game is simply beautiful, and there’s more effort put into the front end and general flow of the game than most DS titles out there. On the gameplay front though, players will need to suffer through tedious point-to-point fetch quests with very little story to push the experience, and a battle system that gets too repetitive far too fast.”
• WorthPlaying.com (6.5/10) goes against their initial perception of the title by labeling Sonic Chronicles a completely average RPG: “If [Sonic Chronicles] wasn’t for the fact that it had Sonic characters in it, it wouldn’t stand out at all [against other RPGs]. The combat system is interesting but flawed, the gameplay is slow and rather tedious and the plot is as cookie-cutter as they come. There is very little attempt made to make the game feel anything like a Sonic title, and if it weren’t for the occasional loop, you could easily replace Sonic and friends with original characters without losing anything but name recognition.”
• VideoGamer.com (8.0/10) makes note that Chronicles is not the greatest RPG out there, but is still a title worth your time and cash: “If you’re not a Sonic fan and instead are simply looking for a quality RPG, there’s better on the DS, but Chronicles still comes highly recommended. If you’re a Sonic fan Chronicles really is an essential purchase. It’s one of the best Sonic games we’ve played in ages (given the quality of some Sonic games in recent years this doesn’t come as a surprise) and, despite it not being as in-depth an RPG as we’d hoped, it’s really a lot of fun while it lasts.”

For complete critic coverage, check out the Sonic Chronicles page at GameRankings.com.

Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood is further proof, beyond Sonic Spinball and Sonic Riders, that the classic hedgehog formula can be applied to just about any old genre SEGA sees fit (not always successfully, mind). The idea for this game apparently came about during a discussion with Bioware’s managing directors and SEGA America’s President Simon Jeffery. Obviously the concept and challenge of putting Sonic the Hedgehog in untested waters was just too good an opportunity to pass up, but also came with a worrying premise for gamers. Because we’d all been there with Shadow the Hedgehog.

With the standard Sonic games not doing so hot, was a spinoff – which happen to be extremely hit and miss in the history of the franchise – really the best way to go about repairing the damaged reputation the blue blur has? Would the franchise be in good hands with Bioware, an excellent developer known for their more mature RPG projects? Read on and find out, in TSS’ definitive review.

Premise
There’s something of an interesting discussion taking place amongst many Sonic fans at the moment. Why, when games like Sonic 06 were panned for its ludicrous story premises, is there a lot of favour for Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood? To sum up, being a spinoff title in the form of an RPG, such promises of fleshing out a particular story isn’t such bad practice – Sonic Battle did a pretty good job of beefing up Gerald Robotnik’s background for example. That, and an RPG just wouldn’t be one without a story in the first place.

Of course, a good reason is also the fact that Sonic Chronicles doesn’t contain a character-questioning ludicrous story; not at least, for the type of game it’s selling itself as. Bioware are known for their intricate stories and research of particular lore as detailed in their Star Wars game Knights of the Old Republic. As you play through Sonic Chronicles, it’s clear that the RPG specialists knew what they were doing all along.

The story goes like this: after a penultimate battle with Dr ‘Eggman’ Robotnik, leaving the world to believe it was free from his evil tyranny once and for all, Sonic and friends part ways with the hedgehog taking an extended absence of leave. One day Sonic returns to the Green Hill Zone where he learns that Knuckles has been kidnapped, leading to a string of events that will see the blue blur reunite with his friends, take on a once-banished ‘alien’ race and even head off into another dimension to chase those who have walked off with the Chaos Emeralds and Master Emerald.

For the first time in what feels like forever, Bioware have constructed a Sonic the Hedgehog plot that doesn’t patronise the older player, and actually relishes in uncommon facts that you might already know. The whole ‘jumping dimensions’ thing only feels out-of-place to those who’ve not played it, as the dialogue is well threaded and supports an extension of the Sonic Adventure and Sonic Battle stories by playing on Knuckles’ past. It can get a bit predictable at times, but what Sonic game isn’t?

JUDGEMENT: Thumbs Up
FAVOURITE SCENE: When you first meet Robotnik in the third chapter – his dialogue is delicious.

Presentation
We really like the choice of art direction Bioware have chosen for this game; opting for a sort of animated comic book rather than cheesy CG cutscenes with awful voice acting. Speaking of which, there is no VA work in here at all, which makes the ears all the more pleased. The promotional artwork and the scenery of each map is simply gorgeous, and truly a step up from even Uekawa’s artwork we’d say. We’d pick the box art for Chronicles over Rush Adventure any day really.

It’s a shame the same can’t be said for all of the animated cutscene work, which looks like something another team worked on – the results can vary from ‘quite good’ to ‘Sonic X Season 2 – what are proportions?’ standards. And when you get a good look at the character models themselves (especially during the end of battle) they look quite shocking – what’s up with their head and eyes?

The dialogue is appropriate and doesn’t shove any of the Sonic stalwarts out of character for a second; we particularly like the odd little poses Robotnik makes every now and then, coupled with such zingers as “[Back when I was making old robots] I was young and full of beans!” Right, Eggman. Your options for discussion range from straight-to-the-point speed talking to attitude-laden snarky one-liners.

JUDGEMENT: Thumbs Up
FAVOURITE BIT: Being able to be a complete bastard to Amy.

Sound
The sound design is something of a mixed bag in Sonic Chronicles. In some ways, we love it and in others we’re surprisingly underwhelmed. The sound effects are pretty good at conveying classic Sonic actions – the jump, ring ‘bling’ sound and spring ‘dyoing’ is all there (man I do love how that spring sounds), but then you get into battle and every time Tails gets hit he lets out a terrible squeal. Knuckles sounds like he’s trying to swallow something whilst being punched in the stomach, and some of the enemies sound just as odd. Big the Cat (and other heavier enemies) do sound like they’re getting satisfyingly beat down though.

When it comes to the soundtrack as well, it kind of leaves us wanting more. Battle Themes and Boss music are great and pump you up as you make your next move, but they seem to be some of the only pieces that sound anywhere near complex. The many remixes found in the game sound worse than their original counterparts due to a lack of real ‘meat’ to them. Even in spite of the fact that audio legend Richard Jacques composed some original tracks (Green Hill, Zoah Colony for example), the Nintendo DS can do better than this.

JUDGEMENT: Thumbs Down
FAVOURITE TRACKS: Battle Theme 3, Ix Boss Battles.

Gameplay
The gameplay of Sonic Chronicles is made up of two parts; exploration and battling. During exploration, the touch screen is used to control your characters, and different members of your team are required to overcome certain obstacles – Big the Cat has Invulnerability for example, which can allow him to pass gas (… as in, walk through toxic gasses, not…) and Knuckles can climb certain surfaces. Thankfully you’re not treated to random battles, but running into enemies will engage in combat. It’s a bit random as to whether it wants you to ambush or be ambushed though, it doesn’t seem to take into account your approach of each enemy.

Battling is a mixture of classic RPG turn-based combat and Elite Beat Agents-style rhythm action. During each round you can assign commands for each action your character has – doing special POW moves will require you to either tap or swipe against the touchscreen in a particular fashion. It can be quite engaging when you’re faced with a challenging foe, but most of the time you’re simply trying to waste each enemy at a time, whilst attempting to ignore any others in the battle – it’s the simplest way of focusing on a victory. Makes the whole process a little cheap, but entertaining nonetheless. There’s also a new approach to fleeing battles – a short mini-game where your characters run away from their foes is a pretty cute addition, where you must tap your characters to make them jump over boxes that may slow them down in their escape.

When you’re not battling, you’re exploring to find either sub-quests, rings or Chao eggs hidden in each map. Doing these takes the eye off the main action for a few seconds, but the side missions are quite droll as you end up doing them during the main game itself. It can be slightly bothersome finding out you need a particular character’s ability who’s not on your team to finish that Ring/Chao tally. And working your way around the map can usually end up becoming an exercise in running into every single wall you can find, due to the ambiguous interactivity of most of the scenery.

Generally though, playing this game is a laugh – it won’t satisfy RPG fans in the slightest, but it will be enough for Sonic fans looking for a well-developed change of pace.

JUDGEMENT: Thumbs Up
FAVOURITE PART: Tapping and sliding like a pro during boss battles.

Longevity
Funnily enough this is hard to gauge, because one of the most unfortunate things about Sonic Chronicles is that it doesn’t take you very long to complete at all. The most dedicated Sonic games player can crack this in a day or two. But then you take into account that all good Sonic games aren’t that difficult, are accessible and are essentially short, arcade-play games in the first place – so does this fact work in favour of Sonic Chronicles or against it?

Had the story been pitifully short, then we’d probably have to knock this game a peg or two down. The fact is, the story is really quite adequate in length, particularly by Sonic the Hedgehog’s standards. If anything, the problem perhaps lies in the lack of side quests that really distract you from the main plot – pretty much every single optional mission can be completed on the way to another map. Phantasy Star Online’s Hunter’s Guild it ain’t.

It doesn’t help that the difficulty curve isn’t great shakes for the hardened RPG player. Even fighting Ix is significantly easier than most standard battles prior – the very last battle you engage in is possibly the easiest thing in the game. When you complete the game you’re instantly taken back to the beginning with your levelled up characters, making earlier stages a doddle – this is a good feature for replay as it helps players re-engage with the story and dialogue once more, but perhaps it would have been nice to have implemented a greater difficulty with each run-through.

With the quite blatant promise of a sequel during the final cutscene, you realise you’ve completed the game and want to see what happens next. The fact that the game doesn’t continue is most likely a good thing, and that we enjoyed playing the game up until the end means Bioware have succeeded in giving us good value for our gameplay. We just hope that a sequel is actually made…

JUDGEMENT: Thumbs Up (just)
FAVOURITE TIME-WASTER: Replaying the game with levelled up characters. Eat foot, Enraged Armadillo!

YOU’LL LOVE
+ The unobstrusive job of tying up stories from past games.
+ Getting into the rhythm of those tap-swipe POW moves.
+ The comic book style of the major cutscenes.
+ That so much love has obviously gone into the characters.
+ The great fanservice provided in one accessible package.
+ The predictable but awesome final cutscene…. however….

YOU’LL HATE
- The odd, fourth-wall breaking anti-climax.
- Beating it and wanting more.
- The lack of real challenge, even/especially on replay.
- It if you want a lot of RPG depth.
- Knowing the lame side-quests don’t really add up to much.

In Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, who is your favorite[sic] playable character?

• Sonic
• Knuckles
• Amy
• Tails
• Rouge
• Big the Cat
• Other, read my comments

Could this be for feedback for the next game since we know it’s already being developed and it’s story being written. Could the least voted character be canned and well voted characters be given more game/story time? We’ll have to wait and see what comes from it. Currently Sonic’s winning with over a 3rd of votes, Knuckles in 2nd and Tails in 3rd.

You can place your vote here and discuss the poll over at the SSMB.