Review by: J.M.Vargas

"SONIC JAMMED?"

The overwhelmingly negative reaction to the lack of a Saturn action game featuring Sonic (sorry, but a Sonic racing game just doesn't count!) at last June's E3 show highlights the main flaws of the existing Saturn game bearing Sonic's name, "Sonic 3D Blast". People know that, when programmed properly, the machine can do adequate 3D with clock cycles to spare. And, despite some important points in its favor chronicled bellow, "Sonic 3D Blast" has as its downfall the inability to live up to the high expectations Sega gamers expect from a game featuring the blue one. But we can now find brand new copies of this game for $25 (less if you shop around) at major retailers, and for that amount I'd recommend you give serious thought to making "Sonic 3D Blast" a part of your gaming library.

As "The Phantom" would say, its time for a little recap for "those who got here late". "Sonic X-treme" was the working title of an American-developed Sonic game that was being prepared to be Sega's main weapon for Christmas '96, going head to head with "Crash B." and "S.Mario 64". Somewhere along the line somebody at Sega's headquarters got cold feet about the project, and just months before it was to be released it got put on hiatus (a term which loosely means you have either passed away or died!); the game was, in theory, exploiting Saturn to its max with 3D worlds and free movements. As a replacement Sega sent the game we review today, "Sonic 3D Blast", a simultaneous port of the 16-bit title of the same name for the Genesis. Both game's layout and gameplay are identical, but the Saturn has better music and visuals (duh!). Still, many of us felt that a 16-bit title souped up with 32-bit bells and whistles shouldn't be Sega's way of reintroducing Sonic to the masses. So, did British developer Traveler's Tales prove us wrong with their take on Sonic's universe?

GRAPHICS / VISUALS: A-

You will never appreciate how beautiful the color and sharpness of "Sonic 3D Blast" is unless you compare it to (a) the 16-bit Genesis version, or (b) a typical PSX game (that means BROWN all over :). The world of Sonic has and always will be filled with vivid hues of red, green, blue, etc. The world of Sonic is filled with lakes, bridges, robotic mountains, snow-covered hills and futuristic landscapes; virtually the same worlds Sonic and his friends have been doing battle at since the early 90's (Sonic's debut on Genesis). The twist comes in the perspective.

Imagine "Equinox" (Super NES), "Skeleton Warriors" (Genesis) or "Captain Quazar" (3DO). The 3/4" view is back for Sonic, and it affects the gameplay significantly (more later), but it also gives Sonic fans a new view of his colorful planet. The backgrounds and the characters moving through them are photorealistic in their intensity and clarity. On a 27" Trinitron with an S-video cable, this game is eye-candy.

SOUND / MUSIC: B

Your typical Sonic "boing" and "ssshhhh" sound effects are back, and in beautiful crystal-clear sound. It would rank higher in my book except that it has been heard a million times before in about a dozen Sonic games (including those puzzle and Pinball games for the Genesis and the GameGear). The music, on the other hand, is a mixed bag: some tunes are excellent (my favorite is the myst-covered level with monk-like chants...groovy!), and some just make you scratch your head in puzzlement. But all tunes, good or bad, share the same flaw: they don't fit the mood of a Sonic game and are, at best, an odd fit with the game's childishly playful setting. Music is an acquired taste, though, so you may be more appreciative of this game's tunes; I'll stick with the tunes in my "Sonic CD" game (the Japanese version).

GAMEPLAY / FUN FACTOR: C+

Here's where "Sonic 3D Blast" veers dangerously close to not delivering the goods. The 3/4" view simply does not work for me; a Sonic game is about dashing at bindingly fast speeds through huge worlds, and grabbing onto a collapsing cliff as your jump's momentum begins to fade. This game is about deliberate and methodical pacing of attacks against enemies randomly placed. After you jump on them (a chore!), you must touch the little birdie trapped in that enemy and carry it (along with as many birds as you can) to a huge ring that serves as the warp zone where you get to move on and do it all over again. Get at least 50 rings before you jump on the huge ring (100 rings will still get you an extra life) and Tails will give you a lift to a 3D world where you race through a 3D tube (ala "Scorcher"), collecting more rings. Excited yet?

The above description doesn't do justice to the small doses of fun the game has at times: you're moving Sonic, the character that brought the word "cool" into videogame mascots. There is no killing and massive bone-braking fighting moves, so the game is a relaxing change of pace from the "Powerslave" and "Virtua Fighter" experiences of late. And the game isn't so terrible that you'll walk away from it without at least enjoying the experience. But on the other hand the experience can become very repetitive and mechanic: spin, dash, run, jump, grab bird, collect ring, run, jump, spin, dash, repeat. The game is seriously lacking in the options department: you get a sound effects test system, and...I can't think of anything else. Finally, the loading times are horrendous: 15-20 seconds between levels, options or the move to the bonus 3D levels.

On a positive note: the analog control pad is compatible, and makes some difference when maneuvering tight spots.

OVERALL: B

I'm glad Sonic is back in Japan, where Yuji Naka and his Sonic Team are giving it the treatment it deserves. I can't wait for "Sonic Jam" and its 3D world bonuses, and "Sonic R" should give gamers some serious spin. I can only hope that a kick-ass action Sonic game will be seen on Saturn before Sega turns their attention solely to the Black Belt/Dural system of the future. As good as some of the points in "Sonic 3D Blast" are, Saturn just doesn't deserve to be discontinued without a Sonic game featuring those Hitachi twin processors smoking!

With that said, "Sonic 3D Blast" is a worthy $25 purchase (or a rental for non-Sonic fans) that could grow on you as you dig deeper into its secrets (are there any?), or bore you even more that it did me at times. If you can't wait to get "Sonic Jam" (with its four classic titles), and worship the legacy of Sonic in Sega's past, this title would be a nice collector's item (rent before buying though).