| Author | Review |
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x2i
82,890
TA Score for this game: 285
Posted on 12 September 09 at 23:13, Edited on 31 March 12 at 19:43 |
This review has 20 positive votes and 2 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
Background Information
Some consider Sonic and Knuckles to be one of the biggest breakthroughs in the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis era, not just for the game itself but for the capabilities that it had. Owners of past Sonic games were able to lock them onto the Sonic and Knuckles cartridge allowing them access to more things... for example you could play as Knuckles in Sonic 2 and 3 or play the neverending slew of blue sphere stages by locking in Sonic 1. However in the Xbox version, this ability is only granted IF you have purchased the previous 3 titles.
Aside from this amazing feature, the game itself carried on from Sonic 3 which becomes apparent when one locks in the Sonic 3 cartridge and plays through the whole storyline. It was the first time you could actually take control of Knuckles with his abilities in tact (you were able to play as him in Sonic 3 Vs races but this doesn't really count).
Gameplay
The gameplay is pretty much the same as Sonic 3 - the engine is the same since the two games can be combined to make one long story. However Knuckles had the ability to glide and climb walls which neither Sonic or Tails could ever do.
The levels themselves, in my opinion though, weren't aren't as appealing as previous Sonic titles. Most of the levels seem a bit boring and mundane except perhaps the Lava Reef zone Act 1. They lack the exciting spark of previous levels and all seem to be themed on the type levels we hated from the past 3 games. Having said that though, they can be quite challenging and so for someone who is looking for a challenge then look no further.
One annoyance which I have with the game is the rarity of the Giant rings which take you to the Special Stages - fair enough there are 7 on the 2 acts of the first level but that's only if you look hard enough - anyone who happens to stumble upon one will most probably only find two or three at most - then the second level doesn't have any. The third has a couple of toughies to find and then so does the Lava Reef - after that though they disappear completely.
Multiplayer and Online Capabilities
There are no multiplayer or Online Capabilities in this game alone - however locking onto Sonic 3 will allow player 2 to control Tails in the story mode.
Achievements
Most of the achievements are straightforward. Some are too easy such as entering a special stage, finding a chaos emerald and collecting 100 rings, others require you to pass a certain level and the rest require you to complete the game as both characters and collect all of the emeralds.
If you are up for it and are an experienced Sonic player, each characters story should take less than an hour minus the emeralds... you should get all but 2 achievements in one playthrough unless you do decide to get all of the emeralds and then it only becomes 1.
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