Sonic the Hedgehog (Playstation 3, 2007)

It saddens me to think this game was the reason why I bought a PS3 (before the game came out). I picked up the game on it's release and just got around to reviewing it because I'm new to ebay.

For the retail price of 60 dollars (I'm sure it may be different now) this game is not worth it. If you must have this game buy it at 25 dollars or below (you can find it 25 dollars used at eb games I believe).

Story: There are 3 hedgehogs (Sonic, Shadow, and Silver) you play as through the game with the occasional appearance by minor characters from the Sonic series (e.g. Tails, Knuckles)

Pros:

Before I begin, please understand there aren't too many things which can be said good about this game.

Many playable characters. The three main characters are hedgehogs, and are supported by minor characters know through the Sonic franchise. It was nice to have all characters playble, but this service does more harm than good.

Game length: I think the game took me about 30 hours to beat namly because of a poor camera and poor level design.

Music: Ever since I picked up my first Sonic game in 1991 (I was 5 I believe) Sonic music has been memorable. This series continues it's legacy.

Cons:

Story: There is a lot wrong with the story, namley the tip of the iceberg Hedgehogs and humans aren't meant to kiss. Sega what are you thinking?

Camera: The game camera is awful. When you want it to look the right way it won't. Basically you can't angle the camera in the direction you want which leads to you dying a lot.

Sonic: He has specialized fast sections; while fun they can be incredibly difficult and annoying due to graphic issues (especially the castle one).

Shadow: He has vehicle sections in levels which slowdown the pace of the game and are annoying.

Silver: While the concept of Silver solving puzzles is fun, it can be hard and annoying at times. In a pyramid room where you have to hit balls into a special platform, I found myself wanting to throw my controller at the TV out of frustration.

Load times: You have to wait 15-30 seconds in load times to see a cinematic lasting 3 seconds, to only go into another 15-30 load time. This becomes very frustrating if you fail at an open world event and are forced to repeat this over and over. Furthermore, you are forced to sit through load times while your in the level transitioning to the next Act (if you can call it that).

Replayability: The game has a few memorable stages, but overall I did not feel compelled to pick up the game and replay it. You can replay and attempt to collect all of the emblems and gold coins, but I'm not sure if there is a reward for doing this incredibly tedious task.

Closing Notes:

Bottom line: If you like Sonic this is either a hit or miss. You should probably rent this game before you buy into its flaws, or save your money and buy Sonic Mega Collection PS2 to remember the good days; because if Sonic continues in this direction his future is bleak.

If you buy this for Kids: All of the things wrong with this game probably won't be that noticable to children; because overall the game is fun, but has many frustrating moments. Will this game keep your kids occupied; yes; but there's a chance they will become frustrated and bored easily.

If you buy this for Adults: They probably won't like this. You'd probably be better off giving them a pre-order on Little Big Planet, Grand Theft Auto 4, Grand Trismo 5 or Metal Gear Solid 4.