Review of Sonic Rush for the Nintendo DS

Way back in the 90's Sonic the Hedgehog was hands down one of my favorite games; a game that I could go back for time and time again. The action was fast, yet slow enough to take in my awesome shiny environment. Ahead of its time perhaps, but as times changed, so did Sonic, and sadly for our blue speed demon he did not change for the best. One game I recall playing on the Wii really had me hyped up and excited for its release, however once I played the game I nearly broke out into a random seizure due to how fast my little blue hedgehog was speeding. The game was no longer fun, everything was thrown at me too fast, and sadly the game ended up in some dusty old box in the basement.
After reading a few reviews of Sonic Rush for the Nintendo DS though, I was mildly curious, and finally ended up picking up the title in a used bin for a price that wouldn't crush my soul if the game sucked.
Plot:
Dr. Eggman is back and once again he is up to no good. I love the Eggman, and love that he was incorporated into this particular game as our number one enemy, just as he was in the very first Sonic game.
The plot is not very thick but plots in Sonic games never were that thick. It was mostly made up of running, collecting, and chasing our enemy into the next scene up until the final battle. Things are set up in the same manner in Sonic Rush, 3 levels to run through and a final mini boss battle.

Game Play:
 
Sonic Rush plays out fairly nicely, using the same type of game play that we remember in the very first release of the game. You steer Sonic through a semi 2D/3D environment with a side-scrolling platform. Its basic, point A to point B.

The one issue I found with game play was that although this game is not as fast paced as Wii titles of Sonic, there are times when you have to ease up on pushing Sonic forward as he will go a bit too fast. It does not take long to get used to easing him up when he is in hyper speed though. However if you don't ease up at times you will end up flying into an enemy, or flying into the sky and landing somewhere to your death with no control on making it stop.

Controls:
 
The controls in Sonic Rush are rather interesting, yet simple enough.

Most game incorporate game play on just one screen on the DS, making the lower touchscreen area where you play your game, while the upper half of the screen is a dashboard or map of sorts. Sonic Rush uses both top and bottom levels of your system, while it can be a bit confusing at first, it gets easier as you steer Sonic through swirls, whirls, and twirls, and watch him run from one screen at the bottom, to the other screen at the top. It's a bit eye buzzing at first, but you get used to it and it creates no distractions.

Graphics:
 
Graphics in Sonic Rush are done very nicely, with coloring and enemies that you may recall from older versions of the game. The graphics fit perfectly to what one would expect from a Sonic the Hedgehog game. Things are rich, and details in each level are pleasing to the eye. Best of all you can slow your speed demon down and take in some of the pretty little extras that developers added to the game.

Music & Sounds:
 
Sonic Rush sticks to the original Sonic tunes that we know and love. Death has that same depressing chime, while collecting rings throughout the levels also plays the same smile making tune that old-school gamers will remember from the original. Besides that music also matches up perfectly to what one would expect to come from Sonic games.

Overall:
 
Finally, it took years, but Sonic is back in action and what we once loved about him is back. Fans of the original will really like this one, and new players to Sonic will likely enjoy this one just ax much, creating a new wave of Sonic fans!