Board 8 > Sonic Colors: Ultimate Review Zone

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://opencritic.com/game/11618/sonic-colors-ultimate/reviews

My favorite 3D Sonic game returns remastered in 4K. It is largely the same game that came out 11 years ago, but with a few extra bells and whistles added in that don't really change the experience all that much. However it's now finally unshackled from the Wii and is widely available for everyone to play.

Currently at a 77 through 26 reviews so far (the original averaged a 78). Only a $40 release though so if you're wanting to experience the game again on modern platforms either again or for the first time at least it won't break the bank.

Worth Playing - 8.5/10
In many ways, Sonic Colors: Ultimate represents the unhindered high points of the 3D Sonic games. It's Sonic as a single playable character, so there are no werehogs, gameplay changes, or an adorable pudgy younger version of himself. It's the "run incredibly fast through loops" gameplay boiled down to its essentials, and it works really well. Even a decade out from its initial release, it's still a darn fun game, and Colors Ultimate definitely captures the feel. It won't change your mind if you never liked the 3D style of gameplay, but if you did, Colors is arguably the best of the lot. It might not have the highs of Unleashed or Generations, but it also is a far more focused affair.

IGN - 8/10
The new content introduced in Sonic Colors: Ultimate is unremarkable, but the base game still remains one of the best examples of how a modern Sonic game should be, even nearly 11 years later.

Shacknews - 8/10
Sonic Colors: Ultimate is a decent return to arguably one of the best 3D entries in the series. Though there are some solid visual upgrades, I was disappointed by the missed potential in having a version for the newest consoles. Besides that, refined controls, a revamped soundtrack, and some new features still make Sonic Colors: Ultimate a game that fans of the franchise will surely enjoy.

Playstation Universe - 7/10
When comparing it to other 3D Sonic titles, Sonic Colours is easily one of the better entries in the storied annals of the spiny speedster. It's an audiovisual delight, and more often than not, calls upon the spirit of speed that made this a household name. Unfortunately, it still carries plenty of the baggage from older 3D Sonic games in terms of unnecessary difficulty spikes, and inconsistent switching between 3D and 2.5D.

NintendoLife - 8/10
Sonic Colors Ultimate is well-executed revisit of a high point in Sonic's long career. Most of the quality here stems from the content of the original, rather than the new additions and tweaks for this re-release. Things like the Jade Ghost and extra customization options are welcome, but not game changing, and the musical and graphical improvements are minimal. At the end of the day, though, this is still a well-performing, portable version of a classic and that's arguably all that it needs to be. We'd give this one a recommendation, then, to anyone who has yet to experience Sonic Colors, as this is certainly the best and easiest way to try it out. If you're a fan of the original, we'd still say it's worth a punt - you'll still love the game on Switch. Just be aware that this isn't a massive overhaul of what came before.

Press Start - 8/10
While it might be a hard sell for those that have already experienced the intergalactic highs of the original, Sonic Colours: Ultimate is packed with value and tweaks that make it well worth your time if you haven't jumped into it before. It sports a simple yet entertaining narrative, great gameplay and a visual facelift that unleashes the potential of its namesake. All of this combines to further cement Sonic Colours as one of the best entries in modern Sonic.

Push Square - 6/10
Sonic Colors: Ultimate is the best version of an okay game. It's certainly among the hedgehog's better outings since his Genesis heyday, but it suffers from typically frustrating controls and level design. The Wisps provide variety and replay value, and the remaster adds some fun new features in addition to the visual enhancements. This 11-year-old Sonic title is one worth experiencing, but just be aware of its rough edges before you spin dash into the action.


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https://youtu.be/JhR-W1X3UdY

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I'm trying to decide if I want to spring for the deluxe edition and get to play the game this weekend.

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A 6/10 isn't a game I'd describe as "one worth experiencing"

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Red Steel is like a 3 or 4 and I'd say it's worth experiencing!

that janky multiplayer is hilarious, glad I made GTM play it with me

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Red steel is underrated!

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Waluigi1 posted...

A 6/10 isn't a game I'd describe as "one worth experiencing"

There's plenty 6/10's worth experiencing

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Guess it's just me then.

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well they're also wrong that it's just an okay game anyway

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A single numerical rating applied to a game just tells you it's overall score. A 6/10 can be made from a 8/10 story and 4/10 gameplay or vice versa. So depending on which factors in a video game you prefer, a 6/10 could be very worth playing. Or if it tries a very unique concept, just done in a way that doesn't overtake other flaws.

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Sounds like the Switch version of this game...sure is something!

https://twitter.com/Smoncdahonk/status/1434039124193804292?s=19

Playstation it is.

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Whoa

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UshiromiyaEva posted...

Sounds like the Switch version of this game...sure is something!

https://twitter.com/Smoncdahonk/status/1434039124193804292?s=19

Playstation it is.

might have to switch my preorder over to the Switch version

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"worth experiencing"

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Wondering how often that happens, comments are making it seem like it always happens?

Or is it like a specific point in the game?

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I really doubt it's a common occurrence.

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GTM posted...

comments are making it seem like it always happens?

I would never recommend listening to twitter comments, otherwise you might end up believing things like this

https://twitter.com/realcheesyboi/status/1434121111311159298

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I never really understood why anyone would buy a multiplatform game on Switch, unless you just don't have the alternative. It always runs somewhat or notably worse, or is just straight up busted.

But I never take that thing out of the dock, so I guess if you're just desperate for that portability...

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https://twitter.com/kakarotooot7u51/status/1433919892449742855?s=19

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More like SonicColors.exe

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UshiromiyaEva posted...

I never really understood why anyone would buy a multiplatform game on Switch, unless you just don't have the alternative. It always runs somewhat or notably worse, or is just straight up busted.

But I never take that thing out of the dock, so I guess if you're just desperate for that portability...

"Desperate" is such a weird word to use.

I don't understand how people don't understand just how awesome it is to play games on a portable console. I almost never play my Switch docked. Obviously the fact you have the choice is a selling point, but I'm baffled when people say they never take theirs out of the dock.

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I only ever take it out of the dock if I want to take it with me on a trip (or occasionally to partake in some toilet gaming). If I'm at home, it's docked because I prefer playing on a big TV (same reason I'm not much of a PC guy).

The flexibility is nice, of course, so I'm glad they have it. I don't know that it's a selling point for multiplatform options though.

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ninkendo posted...

I would never recommend listening to twitter comments, otherwise you might end up believing things like this

https://twitter.com/realcheesyboi/status/1434121111311159298

Yeah, thats why I asked in here to my trusty gamefaqs dot com friends

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UshiromiyaEva posted...

I never really understood why anyone would buy a multiplatform game on Switch, unless you just don't have the alternative. It always runs somewhat or notably worse, or is just straight up busted.

But I never take that thing out of the dock, so I guess if you're just desperate for that portability...

I'm always in portable mode and never put it in the dock

it's nice to just pick it up before bed play for 5 minutes then sleep

by 5 mins I mean 3 hours

^5 Grand Kirby

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Leonhart4 posted...

I only ever take it out of the dock if I want to take it with me on a trip (or occasionally to partake in some toilet gaming). If I'm at home, it's docked because I prefer playing on a big TV (same reason I'm not much of a PC guy).

The flexibility is nice, of course, so I'm glad they have it. I don't know that it's a selling point for multiplatform options though.

Pretty much exactly this. I prefer the big screen experience and I have a very nice TV I paid a lot for lol.

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UshiromiyaEva posted...

Sounds like the Switch version of this game...sure is something!

https://twitter.com/Smoncdahonk/status/1434039124193804292?s=19

Playstation it is.

Lol this is awful (and wonderful). Very glad I have decided to be a cheap guy and look for a 2 Wii copy instead of paying full price for this!

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Grand Kirby posted...

I don't understand how people don't understand just how awesome it is to play games on a portable console. I almost never play my Switch docked. Obviously the fact you have the choice is a selling point, but I'm baffled when people say they never take theirs out of the dock.

I'm the guy who bought a Vita and then sold it a month and a half later after getting a Vita TV.

Portability ain't my thing lol.

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my hands are not conducive to handheld playing

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UshiromiyaEva posted...

Sounds like the Switch version of this game...sure is something!

https://twitter.com/Smoncdahonk/status/1434039124193804292?s=19

Playstation it is.

The glitches are actually on all versions, in case you were serious


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I played through it this afternoon on Series X and didn't run into anything, for what that's worth.

What is eggregrious is the credits 'level' I eventually bowed out after 15 minutes, because there's an achievement tied to it (fortunately, I still got it), but ...

https://twitter.com/TheSmashToons/status/1433967005296513031?s=20

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I will say though, I thought the game was really fun otherwise, if a bit easy. Only complaint is that when you die, if it restarts you at the start of the level, it doesn't restart the clock, so you have to manually restart after reloading to start fresh again.

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As an amendment to my previous post, Switch version may, in fact, be the worst, but people have reported problems with all versions. Might be a good idea to wait for a patch or two if worried.

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https://twitter.com/CubicSpinda/status/1434223798270767111

switch version definitive

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I'm used to weird glitches but I'm genuinely amazed as to how that even happens.

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https://twitter.com/FourScore64/status/1434208668099223564?s=19

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In non-glitch news, what have they done to Planet Wisp's music?

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Very interesting write up on the issues of the port. Most interestingly enough is that it was posted a month ago...

https://twitter.com/TiDunnOnTheRunn/status/1421679631954972674

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Grand Kirby posted...

Very interesting write up on the issues of the port. Most interestingly enough is that it was posted a month ago...

https://twitter.com/TiDunnOnTheRunn/status/1421679631954972674

While I'm sure he makes good points, I'm almost tempted to throw his whole take out when he blames Balan Wonderland on Sega instead of acknowledging that literally everything that game was designed to be was bad, and no amount of time or work would have saved it.

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StealThisSheen posted...

While I'm sure he makes good points, I'm almost tempted to throw his whole take out when he blames Balan Wonderland on Sega instead of acknowledging that literally everything that game was designed to be was bad, and no amount of time or work would have saved it.

Have you seen how much cut content there was for it? The game was rushed out the door at least a year early. It was rushed so badly they cut all the dialogue from the game.
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Mac Arrowny posted...

Have you seen how much cut content there was for it? The game was rushed out the door at least a year early. It was rushed so badly they cut all the dialogue from the game.

I contend that even with more content the game would have still been crap. It would have just been more substantial crap. Like, there was almost nothing good in that game.

Also, apparently somebody posting glitches as being from the Switch version got caught using an emulator, so now it's unknown which glitches are actually real and which glitches are caused by emulation. This may explain why reviews haven't mentioned anything near on the level people have apparently been finding an abundance of, especially since professional reviews usually never pass up the chance to call out a buggy Sonic game.

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To follow up

https://twitter.com/CL_BAGULHOS/status/1434368613822177285

Dude got caught using an emulator and lying about it, ended up admitting it, got dragged, and then deleted his account because "Twitter is toxic."

So I'm just gonna wait a week or two to see what's actually real and what isn't.

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Mac Arrowny posted...

Have you seen how much cut content there was for it? The game was rushed out the door at least a year early. It was rushed so badly they cut all the dialogue from the game.

Balan main problem was the level design which is not something that would have been 100% fixed even when delayed
They just lacked the talent for a good level design
There is a reason why 2D platformers, which are super easy to make, are very rarely being half as popular as the Mario games

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Yeah, that one guy got caught and now people are using it to write off the other people with similar glitches. Sonic Twitter is a hoot right now, thinking everything is some conspiracy by people who don't like Sonic. They even got Arin Hanson from Game Grumps trending, because he made a joke about finally playing it now he'd heard it was broken.

I guess we'll know on Tuesday when the game fully launches and more people get it in their hands. Again, for what it's worth, I've been playing more, tidying up S Ranks and red coins etc. and the only glitch I've encountered was clipping through the wall after using a laser and getting stuck.

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JackMan posted...

Yeah, that one guy got caught and now people are using it to write off the other people with similar glitches. Sonic Twitter is a hoot right now, thinking everything is some conspiracy by people who don't like Sonic. They even got Arin Hanson from Game Grumps trending, because he made a joke about finally playing it now he'd heard it was broken.

I guess we'll know on Tuesday when the game fully launches and more people get it in their hands. Again, for what it's worth, I've been playing more, tidying up S Ranks and red coins etc. and the only glitch I've encountered was clipping through the wall after using a laser and getting stuck.

I already have the game and have had zero glitches, but I'm on the Xbox.

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Yeah I'm also on Xbox without glitches, but I did only play Tropical Resort and Sweet Mountain so far, and I haven't been to every part of every act, just played through once so I may not have gotten to any of the glitchy sections.

Yeah, I'm on the Xbox version too, playing on a Series X.

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how do so many of you have it already

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MZero posted...

how do so many of you have it already

if you got the digital deluxe version you got it 3 days early

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it would legitimately suck if emulator plays are ramping up glitches which materially impacts pre-release perception

guess we'll see

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Oh hm, very curious how bad it turns out to be on release!

Although the 30 minute credits with half of them in complete silence is still hilarious.

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