Sonic CD has been available on Xbox Live, the PlayStation Network and the iTunes App Store for a little while now, so hopefully you’ve played it already. If not, let me explain why Sonic CD is more than a mere port. SEGA went above and beyond and made the definitive version of a classic.

Previously available on the ill-fated Sega CD, a buggy PC port and Sonic Gems Collection for GameCube, what differentiates Sonic CD from its peers – Sonics 1,  2 and 3 for the Genesis — is the Back to the Future-style time travel element. Before Sonic CD, one could just plow through levels, collect rings and call it a day. In CD you can do the same thing for the most part, but you gain a better ending if you seek out the time travel signposts placed around each level. Run through a time-post labeled “Past”, find a good spot in the level to do your best Marty McFly impression, that is, run at top speed long enough to see some serious sh– I mean, make sparks fly, and Sonic warps through time to a past version of the level. Once there, you have to seek out and destroy big machines that will make the Present version of the level much easier to get through and the Future version of the level much brighter and nearly hazard-free.

Don’t expect a cake walk, though! Sonic CD is damn hard thanks to the craziest level design the series has ever seen. Loop-the-loops, spike traps, pitfalls, and dastardly enemy placement will give Sonic a tough time. There’s an entire level later on made entirely of bouncy material that sends Sonic skyward constantly. And I mean constantly. It can be maddening at times, especially since there aren’t many useful power-ups beyond the usual invincibility, shield, and fast shoes to help the poor hedgehog. On top of that, it’s never obvious where the machines in the Past levels are located. Exploration and memorization are key. Or you can just cheat and look up maps online.

Will the future be bright or dim?

The honest alternative to get the best ending (a longer, super-well-animated anime cutscene, by the way) is to collect 50 rings by the end of a level to access a weird UFO bonus stage. Bonus stages in Sonic games are usually pretty awful, and this one is no exception. The behind-the-back Mode 7-looking graphics are cool, but it’s difficult to control Sonic in this mode and gauging distances between Sonic and the UFOs he has to bash is extra-tricky. These bonus levels are also filled with difficult-to-dodge water and bumper hazards that slow Sonic way down. It’s a tall order, but defeat seven of those stages and the good ending is yours.

Despite the difficulty Sonic CD‘s a guaranteed fun time. The controls are spot-on, the twisted level design will get under your skin and each battle against Dr. Robotnik gets more creative and challenging. They’re some of the better boss battles in the series, I’d wager. I don’t want to say too much without spoiling anything, but the best encounter in the game is against Metal Sonic. Maybe it’s the music, maybe it’s the idea of Sonic engaging in a death race against a robotic version of himself, but I just love that ‘bot. Definitely one of the best characters in the series. Certainly one of the best designs.

A lot of personality comes through in CD’s timeless presentation, particularly the sprite work and the music. The various animations for Sonic are a joy to just look at, especially when he jumps on a spring and twirls high into the air, or when he revs up the peel-out dash move that makes his legs look like a red infinity symbol. More than any other game in the series I think this one shows you how heroic — how cool! — Sonic can be. This version of the game even lets you choose between two different types of the spin-dash animation: the Sonic CD version or the superior, more fluid-looking Sonic 2 version. It’s this attention to detail — the option to select between two different versions of sprite animation – that elevates this port from merely “good” to “they thought of everything.”

There’s also the much-appreciated option to play either the American or Japanese soundtracks during gameplay. I’m more partial to Spencer Nielsen’s American score, but the Japanese one is just as good. It’s worth replaying the game to listen to both soundtracks.

Sonic’s pint-sized sidekick, Tails, is the bigger reason to replay. He never appeared in the original game at all, but once you finish it you can take control of Tails and fly around, so it’s easier to hover around levels looking for those pesky hidden machines in the Past. He’s a huge addition to the game, one that SEGA didn’t even have to include, but they chose to put him in. More value to an already impressive digital package.

whaaa sonic help meee

Sonic CD is an evolutionary off-shoot of the Sonic series.  Time travel returned as the main plot conceit in Sonic Generations, but not something that factored into gameplay. The only other thing to get carried over into later games in any meaningful fashion was Amy Rose, Sonic’s unofficial girlfriend. Even Metal Sonic never returned… until a Sonic 4 secret ending, apparently. It’s probably a good thing he’s not as overexposed as the other characters. Still, it would’ve been cool to see the ideas in Sonic CD refined and improved upon, perhaps in a spin-off series or something. Sonic CD‘s a a one-off, an unusual experiment, and with its bizarre level design and sometimes off-putting difficulty it often feels like one.

But it’s a great game regardless and I’m thrilled to have such a robust version of the game available in HD with so many options on so many different platforms. SEGA, with the help of a programmer named Christian Whitehead who spearheaded the project on his own on iPhone, did a brilliant job bringing this classic game back to life.  It’s the new shining example of how to resurrect an old game for new audiences.

It’s been a long time–a seemingly eternity, really–since my mind had reason to focus on America’s earliest days. Sure, I love the works of Thomas Paine, but those philosophical and political pieces don’t dig into the minutiae of colonial and pre-colonial times. Likewise, Final Form Games’ Jamestown doesn’t detail John Smith’s and Sir Walter Raleigh’s adventures in a settlement that would evolve into Virginia –it details John Smith’s and Sir Walter Raleigh’s Martian adventures to hunt down a crazed Spanish conquistador in a delightful 2D shmup.

What–?!

Yes, it’s an absurd premise for an absurd genre. Jamestown is a bullet hell shooter, a 2D shmup category that sees screen-filling projectile curtains hurling toward you. The 2D game differs from other games in its genre in that it supports four-player co-op that emphasizes a light form of teamwork. As long as one player survives the enemy onslaught, the other players can be resurrected (the length of time before you can rez increases with the difficulty). That last remaining player enters “Caution Mode,” which helps you (theoretically) stay alive a wee bit longer by displaying your ships actual hit box. Hardcore shmuppers won’t need the assistance, but it may prove beneficial to casuals. The only downside to multiplayer mode is that it’s 4-player local co-op. That means you’ll probably need a sizable monitor, a few chairs, and some deodorant.

And Jamestown is a game that you’ll want to play with friends. Most bullet hell shooters cater to nerds who seek the relentless bullet abuse, but Jamestown is surprisingly friendly to genre-noobs. The lower difficulty levels let players make things go boom without fretting over an insane amount of incoming projectiles, thus giving them the opportunity to dive into the play mechanics. The higher difficulty levels? Those will fuel several controller-throwing moments.

Just as I remember it from history class.

Enemy ships explode into cogs as you bring them down–make certain to collect those parts before they tumble off-screen. They power your ship’s Vaunt gauge, a meter that when filled, lets you activate Vaunt mode. This has multiple purposes: your firepower does 1.5X damage, you get a 2X multiplier bonus,  and you get a shield that destroys incoming enemy firepower. Vaunt quickly vanishes, however, so make the most of your time with it and rack up the huge numbers. It’s a mechanic that requires you to sometimes charge full-on into enemy waves –it’s a thrilling play style that harkens back to Takumi shooters such as GigaWing and Mars Matrix. All of the four selectable ships move a bit slowly (not R-Type slow!) so don’t expect speedy exchanges as you zip between clusters.

Jamestown features highly-detailed, well-animated sprites that harken back to SNK’s ’90s output. In fact, between the projectiles, enemy ships, and foot soldiers, it’s very easy to get lost in the visuals which drip in retro 2D love–it’s like a shmuppy version of Metal Slug. Shmups aren’t known for their plots, but Jamestown tells its interesting back story through a series of stills that look very much like classical paintings. Orchestral music, scored by Francisco Cerda, adds to the thrilling sense of adventure with its energetic percussion, incredible choral arrangements, and moving strings. The tracks sound as though they were ripped from a film score–something I’ve griped about in the past–but it works here. The final stage’s music is absolutely incredible; you will feel like an interplanetary hero.

Some will inevitably gripe about Jamestown‘s length; you can finish the game in about half an hour. But this is a shmup, a manic shmup, so replaying it for big scores and one-credits means a hefty dose of “replay value.” Jamestown is $10 on Steam. Get it. It’s an excellently crafted 2D shooter designed for hardcore gamers who thrive on the bullet-dodging adrenaline rush the genre delivers.

Indie games have allowed frustrated gamers to experience fresh gameplay concepts that aren’t tied to prequels, sequels, side stories. So, what if I were to tell you that there’s a RTS in which flower seeds wage aerial battles would you believe me? The $6.99 Eufloria is exactly this. It’s an original experience in which your units consisting of different seeds attempt to capture all the nodes (called asteroids) on a map. While doing this you’ll have opposition that is trying to do the same. Think of it as Risk, but stripped down, and much more attractive.

Eufloria does a lot well. It has a beautiful, captivating art style that utilizes a simple minimalist approach. The screen’s blanketed with pale color tones, and sharp lines that really makes taking your eyes off the screen a difficult task. Dyson trees are your main source of units and differ in color. Some of the units move from different asteroids attacking other seeds, and others are more defensive and stay on your captured asteroid and explode when enemies are near. It’s not the deepest strategy game, but there is some strategy involved.

One of Eufloria‘s more impressive aspects is the excellent control scheme.  Console RTS games are notorious for having impossible to use controls. With Eufloria, you use your face buttons for commands such as sending scouts to inspect other asteroids, or creating Dyson trees. Sending your units is as simple as selecting an asteroid with the left stick, and then issuing a command.

Issues arise when you actually start playing the game; yes you can spend most of your time staring at the beautiful image on your screen, but this isn’t wallpaper. The A.I. is too passive even at higher difficulties, but the difficulty does spike during certain points (especially the last three missions). At times I would make purposeful mistakes just to see if the computer opponent would capitalize. I really never felt overwhelmed, and found myself just massing one type of unit and dominating that way–there wasn’t much thought involved. Luckily, a calm and soothing soundtrack saved me from immense boredom while I waited for my units to finish being produced. The soundtrack, produced by Milieu (Brian Grainger), has a down tempo, techno feel to it that both sets the game’s tone and served as a stark contrast to the calamity caused by my forces.

The game offers 25 randomly generated maps, which keeps things fresh. For those that complete the campaign, you’ll unlock the skirmish arena, which consists of 8 maps where you battle a computer opponent that is vastly superior to the one you faced during the campaign. You also unlock “Dark Matter,” where you play levels from the campaign that have darker visuals, and put you against a more aggressive A.I. If the entire campaign featured this type of challenge Eufloria would be nearly perfect. The lack of multiplayer doesn’t help the cause. Eufloria would have been great against another human player that could strategize more effectively than a computer.

It is understandable that this is a RTS for casual players, but I believe it’s catered toward the wrong market. Casual players aren’t going to pick up an RTS; heck casual gamers might not even know the meaning of the term “RTS.” If the difficulty would have been bumped up to a consistent level this would be a sure-fire winner. Instead we’re left with a game that has immense potential, but sadly falls short. I commend its impressive art style, amazing controls, and a unique take on what many consider an overwhelming genre. But for those looking for a deep game with a learning curve Eufloria isn’t for you, it’s for the person that is looking for a distraction from all the loud explosions, stressful situations and chaos found in other games.

The King of Fighters ’96 was released in 1996 and, sad to say, its feels like a 15 year old game. Re-released on the Playstation Network through the NeoGeo Station, The King of Fighters ’96 has shown just about no improvements from its original form. This slightly tweaked port only includes the ability to play with other 2D fighting game fans online.

Visually, the game is beginning to show its age. It is a real surprise that, with all of the latest retro remakes and whatnot flooding the gaming markets (such as Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online), SNK didn’t enhance the look with a filter of some sort. On the other hand, the vintage look may please gamers who long for that arcade-era nostalgia. A handful of backgrounds, however, still stand as some that SNK has ever done.

The J-rock instrumental soundtrack is initially appealing, but after a few matches you’ll find yourself getting highly annoyed and might just mute the game for some peace; they wear on you after all while. Of course the games mechanics haven’t changed at all. If you have played previous The King of Fighters games or have just picked up The King of Fighters XIII then you should find yourself right at home. For those that haven’t played a KOF game before, it will definitely take some getting used to with some of the button inputs which are at times more complex than Street Fighter‘s.

The online component is a nice touch, but to say that the netcode needs to be tweaked is a huge understatement. Ranked, unranked and player matches are all available to you when you start up the game, but sadly, they are all damn near unplayable with nearly constant spikes of lag. Offline however, not surprisingly, works wonderfully.

The King of Fighters ’96 is stuck in the past with its old look and laggy online capabilities. SNK has always taken care of its fans and of its franchises but thankfully this is a re-release instead of the latest installment. If you aren’t a diehard KOF fan then this may be one to stay away from.

Too close for comfort.

How cyclical things can be! James Cameron’s action classic  Aliens inspired nearly every video game since its release, from Halo to Resident Evil to the original Metroid. (Really, anything with a casually swearing space marine or bio-weapon corporate conspiracy owes its existence to Aliens.) Then Metroid inspired a whole slew of other games, particularly Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and its handheld sequels, to the point that they formed their own comfy subgenre, the “Metroidvania.” Now, WayForward’s Aliens: Infestation ($29.96) follows the Metroidvania formula to a tee, by throwing  a squad of 20 space marines (collect ‘em all!) into a 2D platform-style adventure heavy on action, exploration and backtracking to blocked passageways once you find the appropriate weapons or tools to bypass them. It’s a good formula, one responsible for many of my all-time favorite games, and Aliens happens to be one of my all-time favorite movies. Aliens: Infestation mashes the two together in a pretty good fanservice-packed package, making it one of WayForward’s better accomplishments.

The game goes like so: You have four marines at your disposal. Select one and explore various locations familiar to anyone who watched the first two Alien films. Along the way, you encounter the iconic acid-blooded Xenomorphs, as well as some human opponents you can dispatch with upgradeable weapons, including a default pistol with infinite ammo. Weapon upgrades come in the way of hidden power-ups strewn throughout the futuristic environments. Health gets restored the same way in a refreshing, retro throwback. Nothing gets regenerated here, including the marines who can die permanently if you don’t tread carefully through each hall and passageway. The famous beeping motion detector makes things easier, though it made things too easy for me. It pinpoints every enemy exactly, so I knew where each threat was before it even showed up. It kind of killed the tension for me until I turned it off to keep things nice and strenuous.

The aliens themselves become too easy since they respawn every time you re-enter a room. It kills suspense, but keeps difficulty high, somewhat. There’s no difficulty at all once you get the flamethrower around the middle portion of the game. It burns down secretion-encased doors, keeps aliens at bay, kills them and has unlimited ammo, so there’s little need for any other weapon. Before finding that game-changer, some of the action can get heated, and when it does the game gets really good. There were moments where I was low on health, tapping the touchscreen to reload, equipping the pistol while in cover, and tossing grenades to keep alive. Those moments were when the game, its controls and all its functions, came together for me. They were fantastic but few and far between. I wish this kind of intense, arcadey action was the norm, instead of the more methodical approach most of the game goes for. Aliens: Infestation won’t challenge for the brunt of its brief playtime, but when it does, it’s a thrill.

Besides the motion detector there’s tons of Aliens fanservice in the way of authentic sound effects. Aliens screech, smart guns blast, and facehuggers whip their tails exactly as they should. There are even some daring surprises in the mix. I won’t spoil any, but fans of the first Alien film will be pleased, then want more from what the game offers. (Apparently, Ridley Scott’s upcoming film Prometheus will deliver on that.) Environments from the movies are replicated faithfully, from the lived-in Sulaco to the slimy hives where aliens bring their victims. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of copy-paste design. Thank goodness there’s a map, as many parts of the Sulaco and other areas have backgrounds that all look the exact same. Despite this Flintstones-style shortcut, the levels are easy to navigate as long as you drop flares and pay attention to objective waypoints. They bring you all over each location in a logical fashion so it never feels like obvious backtracking, something  a lot of Metroidvania games often struggle with.

There is no "nuke them from orbit, it's the only way to be sure" option.

There are a few other caveats that dwell in spoiler territory. Skip this paragraph if you want to keep your experience with Aliens: Infestation snow white. They don’t mar the entire game, but they drag down the game in its final moments. Here goes: Towards the end of the game there’s a stupid space-walking part with an awful lot of platforming. Since it’s in space, of course the controls become delayed and floaty. Worse, at some sections it’s difficult to tell what’s a wall and what isn’t. You could keep walking and run into an obstacle, or keep walking and fall to your death. Jumping’s a challenge only because you don’t know where you’ll land, and on top of that, aliens just rush at you on flat ground. It’s not the most inspired section of the game. The final boss fares poorly, too. Braindead attack patterns and tons of HP just make for a repetitious and overlong final battle, not the exciting climax an Aliens game should have.

Early game nit-picks: It’s difficult to deny the low-budget look of Aliens: Infestation upon its start. Grainy-looking JPEGs adorn the title and menu screens as what sounds like stock music pulled from an archive somewhere plays over them.  Minor details maybe, but they count, don’t they? Ideally, an Aliens game would have something that sounds like music from Aliens.

Instead, all the effort goes into the animation of the game’s characters. As BloodRayne: Betrayal and the Shantae games show, WayForward are pros at the 16-bit style of sprite animation. Each marine gets their own sprite and accompanying idle animation, unlockable bio and way of speaking. There’s a fair amount of story and dialogue to read, and it reads fast and concise. The writing is excellent, always to the point and it doesn’t sacrifice little flourishes of personality for each grunt. Just like in the movie, I found myself getting attached to these soldiers. Because they can die permanently I was careful to choose who to send into battle. My favorite was Zoe Kennedy, the goth girl marine who got particularly dark near the end once it was time to come to terms with the requisite company man. Portrait artwork for each marine, done by comic artist Chris Bachalo spreads the gamut. Some marines look good, others very odd. The chef marine is obviously an in-joke of some kind. I could’ve done without some of the naming, too. Cameron, Geiger and Henriksen are a little on the nose …

At the end, I was satisfied with this snappy, sharp game. It’s a brief one, with jokey end credits and a song full of film quotes and references that suggests the developers had a good time making the game. I had a good time playing it. I would’ve had a great one had they went that extra mile and addressed all those points I touched on to make it even better. Fans of Aliens and action games should check it out.

Knock, knock...

The most exhilarating moment of my Thanksgiving break didn’t involve passing drumsticks, reminiscing on good times, or reconnecting with a long, lost family members. No, it came when I, using Ralf, rolled through Mai’s projectile, rushed her with the Bareback Vulcan Punch, and proceeded to smash her into match-winning oblivion. That truly gave a warm fuzzy as my favorite fighting game franchise had returned to high standing, despite some questionable elements.

SNK Playmore’s The King of Fighters XIII ($49.96, Amazon) is an apology letter to every fight fan that felt that sinking feeling shortly after booting up The King of Fighters XII. The Atlus-published 2D fighter remedies nearly every problem that plagued its predecessor; the roster now packs 33 combatants (two of which, Bily Kane and Saiki, are unlockable), more stages, more music tracks, and best of all, vastly improved netcode that lets you mix  it up online with a bare minimum of hiccups. Simply stated, King of Fighters XIII returns the long-running series to the heights of quality that is its legacy.

King of Fighters XIII‘s graphics set the standard for 2D fighting games. Guilty Gear‘s are beautiful, but overly polished, Street Fighter IV‘s polygons lack soul, and Mortal Kombat fighters can look downright awkward at times. KOF XIII, on the other hand, drips in pixel love. The game may not match Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online‘s insane-to-the-point-of-distraction animation, but what’s there is absolutely stunning. Kyo’s jacket flows as he dashes and fights; Athena pulses with energy. I’m still not a fan of some of the CGI specials–a few still look out of place against the sprites–but that’s a relatively minor complaint.

The international backgrounds are equally impressive; onlookers not only cheer on the three-on-three violence, they do so with body-rattling vigor that helps set the rowdy vibe. Despite the spectacle, my favorite background is one set in South Town where Mr. Big holds a shady meeting in a back alley–the perfect backdrop for a street fight.

It should be noted that KOF XIII is a decidedly non-PC game: to a fault. In fact, some elements are not just insensitive, but downright brutish. Between King getting her clothes shredded by supers and semi-human animals in Brazil’s stage to gender/sexuality slights, there are numerous cringe-worthy moments. It’s more than a little disturbing that this imagery exists in a game made in 2012.

The in-game soundtrack is a throwback to fighting game music of yesteryear–for both the better and worse. There are a few rocking tracks, but there are also several near-jazz pieces that almost feel out of place. Still, they’re melodic and somewhat memorable, which is more than I can say for several modern games with atmospheric soundscapes.

Casual fighting game fans will enjoy performing basics and supers, but the KOF XIII combat system allows the dedicated to inflict ungodly combos and big damage using cancels. It’s all about Drive Cancels, Guard Cancels, Hyperdrive Cancels, Super Cancels, and Neo Cancels. As the names suggests, you can cancel out of a move and into another to rack up big hits. These cancels (except for Guard Cancels) are governed by each fighter’s Hyperdrive Gauge, which fills as you land, block, and take hits. Depending on the cancel needed you’ll consume between 50% to 100% of the Hyperdrive Gauge, so cancel with prejudice. The Power Gauge fills in the same manner except that you use that use it to unleash those aforementioned Guard Cancels as well as EX Specials, Desperation Moves, EX Desperation Moves, and insanely powerful NEO MAX that will mess opponent up good. These require anywhere between one and three power stocks depending on the attack.

So what do all these gauges mean? You should carefully select your character order. If you have a character with a devastating NEO MAX, you’d probably want to place it second or third in the lineup where it has a better chance of leaping into battle with three power stocks. I’ll leave it to better men than myself (namely News Editors Avion Foster-Jarvis and Eric Guzman) to dissect the game’s balance, but from a cursory look, there doesn’t appear to be a fighter than has the innate ability to run roughshod over the rest of the roster. That said the infamous “SNK Boss Syndrome” is back in full force.

 KOF XIII includes a heap of gameplay modes, but the most eye-catching is Story Mode, which is, essentially, a visual novel. Between rounds you’e treated to beautifully drawn (but barely animated) cutscenes, and you can select various scenarios that move the story forward. There’s no voiceovers–it’s all text–but what there is relatively engaging. Frankly, I could do without another Orochi saga, but this is thankfully the end of that tale (I hope).

As mentioned earlier, the online vs. mode is greatly improved over KOF XII‘s. I played various competitors for several hours with only one or two instances of lag, and no disconnects. This will, hopefully, keep the game alive in competitive circles despite the lack of spectator mode.

In a year that was heralded as the return of the 2D fighter thanks to the smash success of Mortal Kombat, Marvel vs Capcom 3, Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom, and Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition, KOF XIII is the perfect way to cap 2011. If you fancy yourself a fighting game fan, The King of Fighters XIII should be considered a must-have purchase as its one of the best games (and 2D games) of the year.

Arcade veterans have a love hate relationship with the Metal Slug series. They love the addictive gameplay, insane weapons, and over-the-top action. On the other hand, they hate the cheap quarter-eating tactics which are holdovers from the arcade era. The $9.00 PSN Metal Slug 2 re-release exemplifies this, and adds a ton of slowdown on top of that which dampers what would be a near-perfect arcade shooter.

The mechanics are simple: You have a button for grenades, shooting your weapon, and jumping that you use to kill enemies while dodging shots. The artillery reigns in from very direction, which makes for one of the most chaotic and twitch-based games of all time. You will be challenged.

Taking baddies out stays varied and interesting throughout the game due to the large number of weapons and vehicles. The shotgun blasts away multiple enemies, the laser zaps an entire enemy line with one shot (or you fire a continuous beam that destroys vehicles quickly), and you can pilot a jet on which other players can ride. Players can also eject from the plane and sending it crashing into enemy targets Kamikaze-style. The destruction that your solider causes is quite remarkable.

That said, the game does show its age in some places. The cutesy (yet hardcore) hand-drawn graphics become really pixelated during intense combat, and constant slowdown is extremely annoying. The game isn’t by any means unplayable, but it is frustrating, and makes what would be an extremely polished and great game an average title. Why SNK Playmore didn’t fix this problem for the PSN re-release baffles me. There aren’t any HD alterations made to the game which is a bummer, especially since other old school re-releases tend to improve the graphics a bit.

Playing with a friend is optimal. The game is a bit easier with two people and adds a level of coordination to the madness. Players have to smartly manage and share power-ups, and plan strategically to take out enemies quickly. All the action on the screen is matched by an energetic soundtrack filled with heavy guitar riffs, and classic arcade sounds. Network support is also included making it even easier to team up with someone.

Overall, Metal Slug 2 is a decent shooting game that can be an enjoyable history lesson. However nostalgia alone isn’t enough to make me erase its flaws. The brutal difficulty is only magnified by the horrible slow down, and makes this a tough purchase to recommend. At $9.00 it’s truly a hard pill to swallow, but if you’re a  purist I doubt any of this matters.

I used to work at some schools and teach kids how to draw comics. Be­tween lessons I’d make some draw­ings for the kids to keep; usu­al­ly more com­pli­cat­ed stuff like Drag­onball Z char­ac­ters. You know, the stuff that would be too dif­fi­cult for them to do on their own.

One of the most pop­u­lar requests was for Sonic the Hedge­hog, which led to requests for Sonic in his “Were­hog” form from Sonic Unleashed, or Shad­ow, or other char­ac­ters I either didn’t know or, um, care about. Though we were all talk­ing about “Sonic the Hedge­hog”, we were talk­ing about dif­fer­ent char­ac­ters. I drew him as I knew him: from the Sonic CD intro movie, from the Archie Comics drawn by Patrick Spaziante–from his Gen­e­sis days! I tried to pass on that Sonic to the chil­dren, but, thank­ful­ly, they don’t need me for that any­more. They dig into clas­sic Sonic them­selves with Sonic Generations ($46.92, Amazon), SEGA’s new attempt to pla­cate fans young and old. And by Eggman’s mus­tache, they do it.

By bend­ing time and twist­ing dimen­sions, the Sonic I know and love, the chub­by lit­tle guy from the Gen­e­sis games, meets the taller green-eyed brazen sonuvabitch kids today know and love. It’s an odd con­cept for a story, but the brief cutscenes pull off the shenani­gans with good humor and a few in-jokes for those of us who have been there since the orig­i­nal game. The story’s all done very well, and never over­stays its wel­come, because SEGA knows the com­bi­na­tion of the two Sonic’s play-styles is what real­ly mat­ters.

A “best of” com­pi­la­tion, Sonic Gen­er­a­tions remakes pop­u­lar stages from past Sonic games, from Green Hill Zone from the very first Sonic the Hedgehog to Plan­et Wisp from last year’s Sonic Col­ors. Bro­ken up into three “eras” — Gen­e­sis, Dream­cast and Mod­ern — each stage is bro­ken up into two Acts. Act 1 has you play as Clas­sic Sonic in clas­sic 2D plat­form­ing, while Act 2 belongs to Mod­ern Sonic’s 3D flipping-and-flying crazi­ness.

The Act 1/Clas­sic Sonic lev­els dis­play some fan­tas­tic level design. The lev­els are so good, so imag­i­na­tive at times — espe­cial­ly later mod­ern lev­els like City Escape and Cri­sis City — I have to won­der why SEGA doesn’t do entire games like this. They obvi­ous­ly still got it in them! And the con­trols, a point of con­tention in Sonic 4, are spot-on this time. There are no grav­i­ty issues, no weird jump­ing caveats, or prob­lems with con­trol response or any­thing. This is the Sonic we remem­ber from the Gen­e­sis days ren­dered in glo­ri­ous, wide high-definition.

Act 2/Mod­ern Sonic lev­els are just as fun. Even thrilling! It seems all I have to do to enjoy them is, y’know, pay atten­tion to what I’m doing, and play well. For the first time in my tenure play­ing mod­ern Sonic games the fault usu­al­ly lies in me, and not stu­pid game design. There are still some dumb moments, most of which I encoun­tered in more open lev­els like Sea­side Hill where Sonic will just flip over the sides of the level into the water, or bot­tomelss pits spon­ta­neous­ly. I also had instances of slip­pery con­trols and finicky tar­get­ing in that level, usu­al­ly when those silly loop-the-loop swing things were involved. I wasn’t a big fan of those.

Besides that, the reimag­ined clas­sic lev­els, Chem­i­cal Plant Zone in par­tic­u­lar, are a joy to blast through as the mod­ern hog, and the Speed High­way level looks so damn good in HD. Near­ly every level, even though there are a lot of city-themed ones, has some­thing to offer. The only one I was dis­ap­point­ed with was Plan­et Wisp, which is odd since it was far and away the best level in Sonic Col­ors. Here, though, it’s just a long and bor­ing chore to get through. In both Acts! Even the music feels off. Maybe they could have left that on the cut­ting floor and give us an extra Clas­sic level?

Although they sort of do. Besides the stages prop­er, Gen­er­a­tions also pits the Son­ics against cer­tain rival characters from each era, as well as a vari­ety of Chal­lenge lev­els that can have Sonic race against his dopey friends, fight giant ene­mies, time attacks, all sorts of var­i­ous extra stuff to play through to unlock art­work and music that can be played in any stage. Some of the chal­lenges even bring back the shield power-ups from Sonic 3, some­thing I appre­ci­ate very much, and fight­ing rivals and end-era boss­es rewards the Son­ics with Chaos Emer­alds, which means no more eye-straining bonus stages to suf­fer through for those super-powered gems. Just straight-up boss beat­downs.

So, let’s see here. Excel­lent level design, respon­sive con­trols, fan­tas­tic visu­als and a won­der­ful sound­track that can be cus­tomized to fit your tastes. Want to play “Sonic Boom” from Sonic CD in Green Hill Zone? Well, you can. And you should! All is as it should be. So, what’s the catch? There’s got to be a catch. This is a Sonic game in the 21st cen­tu­ry after all.

Well, you bet­ter turn off this “Omochao” helper thing unless you want the propeller-headed buz­zard talk­ing your ear off con­stant­ly about all the things Sonic can do. Any­one can find those things out on their own by just play­ing the game. But since it’s a law now to treat play­ers like babies, there it is.

Although, to be hon­est, I could have used that lit­tle bug­ger for the hor­ri­ble final boss. After an awe­some preceding cutscene, I was left won­der­ing what the hell to do against the big stu­pid bas­tard. Can I col­lect that red glowie thing fly­ing around this tube I’m fly­ing? What is it? Where am I? How come noth­ing hurts me? Oh, the only way I can lose is if I run out of rings. Which is easy because it’s impos­si­ble to grab rings because of the awful floaty, slow con­trols the game sud­den­ly decid­ed to bog me down with. It’s dif­fi­cult to even see the rings! I don’t under­stand what to do despite Sonic’s friends chirp­ing in my ear. I can’t even tell who they are besides Tails. I’ve heard “IT LOOKS LIKE A HOM­ING ATTACK.” so much I’ll have that engraved on my tomb­stone.

Gotta love the BEEP BEEP BEEP sound when Sonic’s rings go below 30, too. The entire fight is an assault on the sens­es. The screen is cov­ered in gar­ish col­ors and ton of junk that man­ages to block the cam­era at times, espe­cial­ly when switch­ing between 2D and 3D. I had a tough time believ­ing any­one playtest­ed this part. Then it began to make sense. I just had to hold down the Square but­ton, slow down once in a while to grab rings and hold Square some more. It ended up pret­ty easy. But still pret­ty stu­pid, and a very dis­ap­point­ing note to end an oth­er­wise great game on.

Maybe these Mod­ern Sonic-loving kids will like it. I don’t know. I don’t know any­thing any­more. I’m a relic. A relic in his late 20s. Oh well. If you are too, and you remem­ber Sonic in his glory days, you gotta get this game. If you think there’s noth­ing wrong with a jet black hedge­hog that wields glocks and skates around instead of runs, you should get this game too. It’s a cel­e­bra­tion of every­thing Sonic, good and bad … but most­ly good! It’s his best game in ages, some­thing that’s been said a few times already recent­ly. If this track record keeps up, it can only get bet­ter.

High-flying adventure or nap-inducing tedium?

Solatorobo: Red the Hunter ($34.99, Amazon) is the kind of colorful, earnest game we don’t see often anymore. It calls back to that animated action/adventure genre from the early 90s when anthropomorphic cats and dogs and high-flying worlds with sky pirates and missile-spewing mecha were not uncommon. Think of the old Disney Afternoon cartoon TailSpin crossed with Hayao Miyazaki’s Castle in the Sky, with a healthy dose of Mega Man Legends and you’re not too far from the kind of look and vibe Solatorobo goes for. In fact, developer CyberConnect2, who also worked on Asura’s Wrath for Capcom, said they’d love to take over development on Mega Man Legends 3, which would almost be a perfect fit. Solatorobo‘s creators put a lot of heart and attention to detail in the Disney-steampunk world of Red the Hunter and that kind of attention would benefit Capcom’s belabored blue son greatly. However,  if Solatorobo is any indication, I have my doubts they could craft a compelling gameplay experience to go with all those warm fuzzy feelings.

When it comes to world-building and personality, there’s little problem. The protagonist, Red, is a welcome hero, kind and confident and eager to do the right thing, even if it means he doesn’t get paid in the end. A treasure hunter with little luck, he pilots the Dahak, a wobbly-armed mech that his sister Chocolat performs maintenance on while aboard their yellow airship, the Asmodeus. Together, they go from floating island to floating island as they take on odd jobs until they perform the one that transforms their destinies forever. Naturally. After meeting the requisite mysterious magical child character in Elh, a giant monster, an ancient prophecy and an Evil Empire soon follow. It’s by-the-books RPG stuff with nary a surprise to find in the sloth-like story. It’s a shame considering the characters almost push through the dusty old tropes due to distinctive artwork by Nobuteru Yuuki (Escaflowne, Chrono Cross) and the audio clips of cute gibberish they sometimes make, similar to the goofy chimes the inhabitants of the Legend of Zelda games make. If these cute critters were in a different story, or rather, a different game they might have enjoyed the company of better video game icons.

Instead they suffer from the gift of gab, or curse in this case, in that they say way too much without saying much of anything at all. Plot points and characterization come at a trickle, and it’s the same way for the actual game, which holds your hand like an overbearing parent at every step of the way. Tutorial after tutorial doesn’t just plague the game’s opening acts, but far after the curtain has raised as well. Each new thing you can do with Red and his Dahak, from jumping to hovering to flying to stepping on ever-ubiquitous pressure plates in dungeons, the game stops and opens the textbook for you to make sure you know what you’re doing. When it doesn’t do that, Red and Chocolat talk about how each new puzzle and enemy can be solved before the actual solving or fighting can happen, which is just baffling. Why even be a video game, Solatorobo?

Just ... just be quiet.

This kind of down-talking to the player isn’t new. As gaming continues to get more and more attention from more people — people who don’t play video games — babying and coddling the player has become a sad expectation in nearly everything now. Solatorobo will not get a pass since Red doesn’t have a whole lot to do in the first place, and the things he can do that require all this explanation are simple as hell anyway. The only way Red can attack is to grab enemies and toss them, and both those actions involve hitting the A-button. So guess what you do in every battle: mash the A-button. This might have been okay if enemies took some skill to defeat, maybe if they hit Red for a lot of damage or had some kind of pattern to discern, but no. They usually just sit there or perform one mindless move before Red chucks them across the room. It’s possible to upgrade the Dahak for higher “mobility” and “attack” and whatnot, but I never found a reason to. The game was already too easy. What’s more, there’s a “what’s next” option in the main menu to make sure you always know where you need to go or what you need to do next. This would be a very handy feature in a more robust, feature-rich game, but in Solatorobo it feels like another sign this is a game for preschoolers.

Press A to do everything.

There are lots of quests, side-quests and knick-knacks to collect like photos and music, and various other things throughout the world to find. None of that matters though if there isn’t a compelling central game to anchor it all. There isn’t one here. Button-mashing the same ability over again and trudging through page after page of repetitive dialogue isn’t how I like to spend my time gaming on the Nintendo DS or any other platform, and I can’t imagine anyone else would either despite the beautiful and nostalgic artstyle Solatorobo uses. In that regard, the game’s aesthetic is like a Siren call. Get lured in by the pretty surface, get disappointed by the shallow insides. If there’s any audience for Solatorobo it’s the very young, very inexperienced or very forgiving. But even then, for all the playing there is to do in Solatorobo it’s more akin to a Let’s Play video than a substantial video game.

The 2D-X Excellence Award-winning NBA 2K12 is the game to purchase for the realistic pro hoops experience, but those desirous of a pick-up-and-play multiplayer madness that’s both fun and addictive, look no farther than EA’s NBA Jam: On Fire Edition. Simultaneously new and nostalgic, the downloadable title sports simple controls, wacky characters, and an emphasis on over-the-top entertainment that’s expertly narrated by returning series announcer Tim Kitzrow.

NBA Jam: OFE features the classic 2 vs. 2 nearly-anything-goes arcade action featured in the recent NBA Jam reboot. There aren’t any fouls, three seconds violations, double dribbles, or other momentum-stopping calls; shot clock violations and goaltending are the only observed rules. That’s old, but here’s what new: You can finally switch between teammates on the fly (previously, if you played a one-player game, you were locked in as one baller). It might not seem like a big deal, but this added mechanic gives you more control and opens up a huge amount of strategic possibilities.

Surprisingly, NBA Jam: OFE is incredibly deep. On defense, every attempted maneuver (blocks, shoves, steals) keeps your player locked into place until the animation plays out. On offensive, your goal is to avoid these moves by all means, which transforms the matchups into mental tug-of-wars as the defensive player tries to anticipate a move and time a shove or block to obtain the ball. It’s incredibly fun and rewarding. Soaring to the rim and scoring with a monstrous dunk by our Commander In Chief Barack Obama, and then following that with a Dick Cheney three is the essence of NBA Jam.

Taunting your opponent by taking sitting three pointers or no look shots is both hilarious and demoralizing. But the real fun begins when you score three unanswered buckets with the same player. The virtual athlete catches on fire and gains infinite turbo, so every dunk becomes more showtimey (somersaults!) and scoring scorches the net. This mechanic has been around since NBA Jam‘s arcade days, and is still as rewarding as ever. A new addition is the Team Fire ability, which kicks in when a team nails three alley oops in a row. Team Fire lasts either twenty seconds or until the opposing team performs an alley oop of their own–and can be utterly devastating as you can put up big points quickly.

Of course it wouldn’t be NBA Jam without the vocal stylings of Tim Kitzrow. The squeaks of the sneakers, the groans from players, and thumps from emphatic dunks wouldn’t matter without the famous BOOMSHAKALAKA blaring through your speakers.  There are also some cool references to pop culture, like the ”Pants on the Ground” craze that was made famous by American Idol. Hearing Tim Kitzrow recite the lyrics literally had me in tears from laughter. The visuals are roughly the same as the previous Jam’s: Large 2D faces on animated 3D models. They convey the game’s goofy good times.

The previous NBA Jam featured Remix Tour; sadly that’s out. It’s replaced by a new career mode called Road Trip. Here you face off with each NBA team in a bronze, silver and gold challenges. The challenges become increasingly difficult. All Bronze challenges are regular two-on-two match ups, but normality ends there. Silver and Gold challenges are far more difficult as they have their own oddball settings (such as dunks being worth four points, or threes being worth one). This makes you think about the team you choose for each challenge and adds even more depth and strategy to the game. You are also rewarded Jam Bucks that can be spent unlocking players, teams, and game types. The only major downside? Lag plagues online gameplay sessions. More than half of the matches I found online, were absolutely unplayable.

Still, NBA Jam: On Fire Edition is an excellent arcade sports title. For 1200 Microsoft Points, or $14.99 on the PlayStation Network you get an insane, addictive and surprisingly deep arcade basketball experience. Get it. Now.