If you’ve never heard of Sonic the Fighters before, you’re not alone. The game, based on Sega’s most popular franchise, Sonic the Hedgehog, isn’t your typical Sonic game, nor was it widely released in North America. Rather than racing thorough levels at break-neck speed, collecting coins, and bouncing around like a lunatic, Sonic the Fighters is essentially Sega’s Virtua Fighter series with Sonic the Hedgehog characters.
In North America, Sonic the Fighters was only ever released for the Nintendo GameCube. Europeans and Japanese markets received both PlayStation 2 and GameCube titles. Until November of 2012, if you lived in any of these parts of the world, those were the only ways you were able to play the 2005 fighting game… that is until now.
Sega re-released Sonic the Fighters at the end of November, as a downloadable title for the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade. While having never played the original, the Xbox Live Arcade version appears to be an up-rezed, HD version of the original. It looks nice, but it also looks dated.
In addition to some really easy-to-earn Achievements (and I’m assuming Trophies for the PSN crowd), this re-release of Sonic the Fighters also includes an online mode where you and other like-minded Sonic fighting game enthusiasts can go blow-to-blow with each other.
Like all other Sega AM2 fighters, the premise is simple. Choose one of the 8 selectable characters from the Sonic universe, and pummel each other until you win. Winning a fight awards you a Chaos Emerald, and it's on to the next battle. Unlike other games in the Sonic Series, there's no storyline or catastrophe to prevent, (or human princesses to rescue, thank goodness) it's just fast paced fighting until you are king of the hill. There is no blocking here, just a limited amount of Barriers that can protect you from damage. Once you run out though, you are helpless and can be knocked out quickly, so don't rely on them much. There are two endings to shoot for, a bad ending for not defeating Dr. Eggman quick enough, and the perfect ending for completing the final fight in under 15 seconds. It's not really hard to see both endings since the gameplay is rather simple button mashing. The hardest fight you will encounter is with Metal Sonic, which seems to be the only fight that takes strategy to win.
Some extras can be found in this new release. Online play is included and is really fantastic. Though the amount of opponents is lacking, every fight was fluid and lag free. Dr. Eggman and Metal Sonic are playable from the beginning, but are hidden in the character selection screen. Since no special code is needed, hunting around will reveal them easily. One addition that wasn't found even in the arcade version is the character of Honey the Cat. Originally planned as a secret character, she was removed from the arcade and GameCube versions. Sega decided to include her in this release to add some extra replay value.
If the last few Sonic games left you feeling ill, then playing a game where you can pummel him and all his pals may seem refreshing. If you are a Sonic fan, then you may not like this drastic turn. Fighting game fans will find the game interesting for a while, but it won't likely hold your interest for long. Sonic The Fighters may be simple and easy to play, but it's too obscure to ignore. The cheap price and overall strangeness of the title is good enough to warrant a purchase.
3.0