Review: Sonic CD (Xbox Live)
Score:
72%
This might not have been the Sonic game you were expecting (we're all still waiting for "Sonic 4: Episode 2"), but will this port of the classic release for the CD enabled Sega MegaDrive be a suitable substitute? For the casual gamer, yes, but the more dedicated fan will see this as little more than a stop-gap.
Version Reviewed: 1.0.0.0
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Right then, let's split this review into two. The first is the game-play itself, the second being how it all works inside a Windows Phone device.
By virtue of being a port of a title from 1993, which is relatively early in Sonic's legacy, the elements that have become the clichés of the series (rings, end of level bonuses, springs, etc) are all on show here in their classic format. If you've ever picked up a Sonic game, the tropes are all here. In that sense this is a fitting title.
It also means that there's no real variation on your goals in the game. You start at the left hand edge of a world, and you need to guide Sonic to the exit somewhere on the right hand side. There are multiple routes through the various platforms, cliffs and caves. Your goal, through multiple replays of each level, is to find the route that lets you collect as many spinning rings as possible without dying through impact with spikes or roaming creatures of unusual size (although unusual size, when you are a speedy hedgehog, is a bit of a misnomer).
And that's about it really. You run left and right, you jump, and sometimes you run on the spot before taking off so you can go really fast. And you can tuck yourself into a ball for even more speed. Told you this was all the tropes.
The MacGuffin in Sonic CD, just to keep everything on track, is that a planet which only appears for one month a year has been captured by your foe, who is harnessing its time travelling power to build an evil base to do evil things from. Sonic needs to stop him.
This is reflected in the game play by allowing you to 'time travel' from inside a level to the same level in a different time zone, essentially giving you a new level with a different skin, but the same rough layout.
How does this all translate to a smartphone screen? Surprisingly well, but with a few obvious flaws that are unavoidable.
This simply looks like a Sonic game, albeit a Sonic game from 1993. There is no unnecessary touching up of the graphics to 2012 standards, what you saw then is what you see now. It's fast as well, with the tunnels and chutes operating at full speed, the scrolling remains sharp with no frame rate drop visible on screen. The same goes for the sound, it's all sampled correctly from the spinning noise right through to the "Sayyyy Gaaaaaa" digital voice when you start the title.
Designed for the lower resolution TV screens with less pixels and much lower PPI, the graphics remains sharp and distinctive, even on the smaller screen of the Lumia 800.
But the controls... ouch! The controls are of the on-screen variety. Insert my standard diatribe here about the lack of tactile feedback on these controls, but it really does hurt the game. Sonic CD needs some fast reactions at many points of the game. Be it precise jumps, halting a run to change direction, or manoeuvring in mid-air, there's a reason Sonic was responsible for destroying so many Sega joypads. It demands instant responses, and the fast paced nature of a game which gets the adrenaline flowing. But on a touch-screen this intimacy to the action is lost, because you are always conscious that you are holding your smartphone.
And it's pretty poor. Don't get me wrong, the jump button, on the right of the screen, has a huge target area and it's easy to mash down at the correct time with only one virtual button to press. Unfortunately the direction controls on the other side of the screen are not so simple., The joypad nature of the game is replicated with a familiar looking cross controller to 'virtually rock' in each direction.
It's the only solution to the problem of arcade titles on a modern smartphone, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. Sonic fans could overlook the controller issues to play along with a classic game (but then those are the fans whole have played through Sonic CD countless times already), while new players won't reach the heady delights of superfast movement and pinballing around the screen because the controls do not lend themselves to this happening... unless you know this is the point in the level you can do a sprint with a jump to get to the ramp.
Sonic CD is an accurate port that's missing the correct hardware to play it properly. It's a curio for the hardcore fan while they wait for the next actual Sonic adventure on Windows Phone, but one I think they will appreciate. For the new player to the game, it's very nice looking, and I'm sure you could blunder through it quite happily, but you can't play accurately. And accuracy is everything for Sonic the Hedgehog.
Reviewed by Ewan Spence at