Sonic Advance

Developed by Sonic Team/Dimps and published by Sega, Sonic Advance was released on the Game Boy Advance in 2001/2002. This was the blue blur's second appearance on a Nintendo console and his first original title on one. Sonic on Nintendo. Still crazy in the minds of some, I'm sure! However, Nintendo have become his most adoptive home without doubt.

Sonic approves.

Sonic games used to be absolutely brilliant. The original Sega titles are undoubtedly among the greatest of their genre but in more recent times, the hedgehog's outings have been less well received. I'm glad to say that Sonic Advance is really very good. 

You can play as Sonic, Tails, Knuckles or Amy. Having the choice of different characters is fun and certainly gives the game great replay value as each character possesses some different moves. Of course, you'll also want to collect rings and finish zones in the shortest time possible so there are a few good reasons to want to play this game again.

There's plenty of speed, as you'd expect.

Sonic has his modern look here, which is something I have gotten used to but I do wish he was never so dramatically redesigned. The characters don't speak though, which is a good thing! Despite his appearance, this game does feel like classic Sonic. The level designs are nice and actually rather large. Visually it's really impressive and everything is vibrant and colourful,  from pinball machines to snowy peaks. Each zone has two acts and a boss at the end of each. As usual, Dr. Robotnik (I refuse to call him Eggman!) is up to no good. Also, the music is glorious.

Knuckles the Ace-chidna. I'll get my coat.

On top of the sleek platforming action, there's an additional game feature called Tiny Chao Garden, in which you raise a Chao. It features two mini-games and you use rings from the main game for purchasing fruits and a few other things to keep your pet Chao happy. I guess it's a nice little touch and a way to kill a bit of time between turns at the main game, and you can connect to two of the Sonic games on Gamecube if you wish to.

My copy of Sonic Advance. I love the Sonic Team logo!

Going back to Sonic and co. now, this game really is a joy. If it had been called "Sonic 4" I don't really think too many people would have complained at the time (Of course, we have Sonic 4 now, but that's a different story.). It's a challenging yet fun experience. Thankfully you gain a life when you collect 100 rings and you can find additional ones in power-up boxes scattered throughout the game. You'll be needing them!

This is a strong game and a worthy addition to the collection of any fans of Sonic and his pals. I look forward to getting my hands on Sonic Advance 2 & 3 in the future.

Oh, and here's a little trick. On the character select screen, highlight Sonic (He should be the default selection.) and press - up, right, down, right, L, right, R, right, A. You should hear the sound of a ring being collected indicating correct input. Enjoy!

Gary