Sonic 3D Blast

Sonic's Saturn debut is not quite as auspicious as fans (like myself) had been hoping for. Sonic 3D Blast is a somewhat enjoyable isometric perspective platform challenge. Unfortunately, a lot of the challenge in the game comes from the fact that it is an isometric adventure. There are 14 levels to zip through, a number of all too familiar (but now polygonally constructed) 3D bonus levels, and the entire assortment of Sonic The Hedgehog cast members to visit.

For my tastes, however, despite how entertaining this game tries to be, I didn't find it enough to satisfy. Being the first Saturn Sonic, I was looking for an experience even richer than the lush, NiGHTS into dreams..., but what we got here is a game more closely related to classics like Q*Bert and Crystal Castles. That's not a bad thing, it's just not enough.

'Round Sonic's World

Sonic 3D Blast's back story revolves around incidents occurring on the mysterious Flicky Island. Once again, our true blue hero is out to rescue robotically imprisoned animals. This time it is little birdies called Flickies, who actually live in an alternate dimension, that Sonic must save.

Unstoppable Sonic bad guy, Dr.Robotnik wants to capture as many Flickies as he can because he feels they can help him find the Chaos Emeralds he needs to become the ultimate ruler of the world (or something like that).

Sonic's got to stop Robotnik from capturing the Flickies, and with the help of his pals, Tails and Knuckles, find the Chaos Emeralds before Robotnik can get his grubby paws on 'em.

Basically, the exact same set up of every other Sonic game you've ever played.

Don't Kid Yourself

I hate to break it to you, but this IS the exact same Sonic game you've been playing for years. Only now, instead of jumping up and down through vertically created levels, we're going up and down through horizontally created levels.

The only new addition that's been added to the game play is your requirement to take care of a small train of Flickies before you can release them into the Dimension Rings set up at various points in the levels of Flicky Island. These little Flickies follow you along until you've collected the five you need for each stage of each act, then you can hop into a ring and they disappear.

Then the process starts all over again.

Get ready to bounce and spin your way through level after level of the same exercise. Sure, new components are added to each maze, and some of the additions, like the pneumatic tubes of the Gene Gadget Zone are quite clever. But there's nothing here you haven't seen in some Sonic game before.

All in all, I'd say Sonic 3D Blast is a disappointing recreation of old school game play wrapped in sub-next generation visuals.

The Best Angle For Cute

The graphics for Sonic 3D Blast are decent but far from extraordinary. There is a lot of color splashed on to the screen and the detail in the various areas that Sonic visits is sharp. This is a game that looks like it could have been released any time since 1992. There's nothing remotely revolutionary about the way this game looks or moves.

The only modern visual spice comes in the rudimentary (by today's standards) polygonally constructed bonus levels. Even here, we are forced to revisit a prettier version of the bonus rounds we all played to death in Sonic 3 and Sonic and Knuckles.

I liked the rounded, plastic-y look of our favorite hedgehog and the characters that he meets up with. The backgrounds also look like they've been rendered straight from someone's toy collection. There are some nice textures in the various environments - the marble in the Rusty Ruin Zone and the transparent water of the Green Grove Zone spring to mind. There are even some cool weather effects thrown in to remind you that you are, in fact, playing the 32-bit version of this game, and not the almost visually identical 16-bit Genesis cartridge.

I found a lot of problems lining up Sonic in relation to the various prizes and enemies on the screen (jumping on to bumpers to capture Sonic Medals proved to be particularly aggravating). Consequently, instead of flashing around like a blue demon (speedy Sonic's hallmark), I was constantly having to stop and inch my way into position. This got mighty boring after a while.

The animation in the game is smooth, but no more so than any of the latest Genny carts I've been playing. Because this game must be relatively simple for the powerful Saturn to punch out, it would have been cool if Sega had bumped up the frame rate of the game considerably. It would have given the game more of a glossy, high tech look. Instead what we have here is a game that looks like it could have been a hidden bonus component, stored in the discs of the much flashier NiGHTS or Virtua Fighter 2.

In the end, the graphics of Sonic 3D Blast don't turn out to be either a blast or terribly 3D. The top down, isometric viewpoint is limiting and pointless. The concept of zipping around in geometrically designed 3D environments is sound but the patterned and totally sequential restrictiveness of Sonic 3D Blast's worlds just left a bad taste in my mouth. Give me NiGHTS any day.

Snappy Sounds

The sound effects for Sonic 3D Blast are exactly the same as the Sonic sounds from the past, so don't even consider listening for something new. Signature noises like the Sonic Spin, or the pop of a baddie being turned into a Flicky, may sound crisper and cleaner than before but they don't come off any younger. I'd say it was time for Sega to give Sonic an audio effects overhaul.

You only have to hear the tunes to understand what the sound effects for this game could have been. The music for Sonic 3D Blast is diverse and always catchy. It sounds like real instruments (although it's probably all synth stuff) have been used to create funky, Tower of Power-like tunes that give way to atmospheric rain drenched melodies and then to the sound of a jazz club band improvising through a structured theme. From top to bottom, the soundtrack of Sonic 3D Blast impressed me beyond compare. This is definitely one of the top ten music scores available for the Saturn. Bravo, Sega!

A Speedy Footnote?

I was bored by this game before I even started playing it. And I'm a fan of Sonic The Hedgehog! I can't imagine Sega has made many new Sonic fans with this derivative and unfulfilling adventure. I did manage to have some fun with the disc but it was obvious from the start that Sega can do much better than this. I have yet to try the Genesis cartridge but I assume the game will be more suited to the 16-bit world.

In terms of Sonic in this generation, it's becoming clear that Sega had better come up with something soon before Sonic becomes just another mascot footnote in this continuously evolving industry.

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