Format: Advance
Genre: 2d platformer
Developer: Sega
Publisher: Sega

Also known as Satan Advance, this totally rad hip funk groove game features a blue hedgehog! like wow! oh my satan worship! a blue hedgehog! imagine that! like wow! really hype fat dope man! BLUE! HEDGEHOG! like wow! This new fashion sense is like wow! Nothing can even! like wow! wow! God I hate sonic. Alright, to start things off, if it's not already obvious, this is NOT the original sonic the stupidcraphog game(I think?). Rather this is some new iteration or combination of the sonic series on the GBA. You get 4 playable characters to choose from "Sonic", "Tails", "Knuckles" and "Amy". Sonic is the mascot of sega, and thus it was probably nintendo's way of saying "we own you" when they brought this title to the gba. For years it's been a battle of the italian plumber vs the woke dei hedgehog, but clearly when shit hits the fan you're gonna want extra spaghetti to pay the piper. The basis of the game is supposed to be a "Go fast platformer" but in retrospect, this notion just doesn't pan out to be all that entertaining. Other games have done this concept better and with better mechanics. Speaking of mechanics, this game sports possibly the most annoying mechanics for a platformer. I speak of steep hills. Only this game series, FOR SOME UNGODLY KNOWN REASON, treats all non-flat ground as a steep hill. That means that 100% of the time if you're not on a flat ground, you will be subject to losing your momentum and speed, as well as your ability to jump properly. Speaking on jumping, whichever genius thought it was a good idea to use the "Charge Speed" button as the "Jump" button is a certified retard. I earnestly probably wasted 20 minutes overall trying to charge up sonic's speed to only to have him jump in the air several times because of the button overlapping. The R button was completely unused. THEY COULD HAVE JUST PUT IT ON R. WHY DIDN'T THEY PUT IT ON R? sega dev team, not the brightest. So holding down and pressing the jump button (IF YOU'RE COMPLETELY STILL) will allow sonic to charge his speed. If you press the A button he will jump, and the B button does this weird kick animation thing that's completely useless. A button again in midair does a little spin attack thing. Most of the game you'll just be using these controls as you run aimlessly through giant levels with split pathing. There isn't much rhyme or reason to this, just know that you run to the right most of the time and that nothing else matters really. Supposedly there's these things called "Chaos Emeralds" that you need to collect all 7 of them to get to the true final boss, but yeah, screw that shit. I actually did manage to find 2 springs during my gameplay that lead to the bonus stages to get the emeralds, and they kinda suck. Think earthworm jim space warping levels type thing. You control sonic in a freefall towards the screen and have to collect all the rings and avoid the spikes. The perception is really bad on this part though, and practically impossible to get said rings. Pretty sure you need ALL of them, aka perfection, which is horrifying. Luckily they're not needed to beat the game, just to get copyright-sonic's final battle on the moon. Credits after final boss. Most of the game is based on momentum until you hit a spike or an enemy then have to rebuild that momentum. 100 coins = 1-up. There's also a tamagotchi element to this game as a sidegame called "Tiny Chao Garden" which is a bit awkward. The Chao told me that a voice told him to eat nuts. I turned the game off after this.

All in All, This sega title earned a 5.5 score for it's very basic platform-esc design. Automatic Gameplay for most of the game. Cheap damage spikes. Terrible jump mechanics. Terrible hill mechanics. Bosses are ridiculously easy and attacking them is too 'basic'. Chaos Emeralds are borderline impossible/impractical. Animals in the wild paint themselves in bright colors to show their toxicity, Toxic Fanbase.

Format: Advance
Genre: 2d platformer
Developer: Sonic Team
Publisher: Sega

Sonic Advance is the first second-generation Sonic title that is 2d. That is, it's the first original 2d Sonic content from the Sonic Team since Sonic Adventure, when Sonic the Hedgehog underwent a dramatic recreation and became the new, sleeker, green-eyed wonder we know today (whew, say that five times fast!). To that end, the zones are aesthetically more stylistic than the old 2d Sonic titles, and gone are the days of the 3d-rendered characters, and in are the solid shaded, cartoonish protagonists. This new look really refreshes the franchise, and brings it up to date, while making use of the Gameboy Advance's pixel-pushing and palette capabilities.

The sound effects were clearly aimed at simply maintaining the Sonic status quo of chimes and buzzes. Some voice overs ala Mario Advance would have done nicely, but alas, there are none. The music is another story, as it is very good, although probably a notch below most of the music from the original Sonic titles, especially the truly obnoxious "I'm rupturing my eardrums so I don't have to hear it" Chao song. A reasonable effort here, but not much if any above par for the Gameboy Advance.

To start, this is, hands down, the best Sonic engine to ever grace a handheld. It is almost 100% true to the original, and every little trick and nuance that hardcore hedgehog lovers have mastered over the years can be put to use here, and taken on the road no less! The level design is where the disappointment is. It's not bad, or annoying like Sonic Pocket Adventure, but it's nowhere near the caliber of creativeness or funness that Sonic 3's maps attained. That said, the second-to-last map in the game is the best level in any Sonic game, period, but unfortunately it's a diamond in the rough. Despite the average map design though, the gameplay is easily the best of any Sonic handheld game to date, and is really good fun.

The game starts off very well, and the first 3 zones, along with their bosses, are exceptional for a handheld Sonic title. Unfortunately, the game quality, especially the map design, drops off severely from there. There are four playable characters however, and the game's decent graphics and extremely faithful engine make this one of the best platformers on the Gameboy Advance, if not the best. A hardcore Sonic fan will really love this one, but to everyone else, it might be a tossup between this title and Crash Bandicoot as to which one is the most cherished GBA platformer.