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"The Jet Gamer" Game Review: Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal
11 years ago
Hi there guys, I'm starting a new review series I've meant to for awhile call the Jet Gamer. I'll review games I've recently played and give my own opinion on them. I'll try to be as unbias as I possibly can. I hope you enjoy this as I'll try my best.
Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal
A new Sonic game as just arrived, oh you know the complaints from people are going to start rolling in and I'm not surprised to see that it's out there. As much as you may want to listen to them, after playing this game for myself, most of the complaints seem unwarranted and untrue in some facts. Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal appears to me to be a decent 2Dish Sonic platforming game and appears to perform well in the areas that make a decent platforming game.
Gameplay
The most important part of this game is its gameplay. It delivers well in this area and keeps the pace of the game going well from the start. You start out playing only as Sonic, but you can slowly over the first few levels unlock Sonic's friends, Tails, Sticks, and Knuckles to join him as you play through the levels as you need each of their abilities to complete the levels and get all the collectables that each stage offers to the player. Sonic has his speed of course, but he also has his useful dash move that allows him to thrust in any of the four major directions for an additional boost or to break special sonic dash blocks. Tails can hover in place, meaning he can use fans to get him to areas that the others can't reach. He can also throw mines if need be at his enemies, as well as use the sea fox on special areas to collect blueprints. Sticks has her boomerang that can be remote controlled to hit switches to remove spike blockades, or to attack enemies or hit items that are out of reach of the other characters. Then finally, there is Knuckles, who uses his claws to dig into the ground to burrow to areas where the others cannot reach. You need each and every person to complete the levels, though most of the time, you will likely stick to Sonic as his boost ability makes not falling into pits easier.
Story
The story of Shattered Crystal involves an evil snake Lyric kidnapping Amy and using her to help him locate the shards of the lost crystal. The story is a bit on the simple side, but does what it goes out to do. The story has its serious moments, but is also mainly filled with jokes from the characters as they make their way around the world trying to track down Lyric and Amy. People may not like how Knuckles has been changed in this series and it is understandable due to the fact that he has become more or less the not so intelligent brute now. Sticks, the unique character of Sonic Boom is hit or miss with some people. If you don't mind someone that is overly paranoid and appears to not be well in touch with modern society, you are likely to enjoy Sticks quite a bit. Otherwise, if this is not to your liking, then Sticks will get annoying fast. Either way, the characters and story of Sonic Boom, while having its serious moments, tries pretty hard to show the characters personalities through their jokes and interaction from the still chat-box cut-scenes between many of the levels. There are some live action cut-scenes during the game, but they are very few of them, which is a little sad. If there were more of them, I do think it would have helped get you more into the story over all the chat-box scenes that are full of so much character joking.
Graphics
This game looks pretty decent for being on a handheld. It just goes to show these days how handhelds can produce decent graphics that can be very appealing, despite the smaller screen sizes. This is even shown rather well in the few live-action cut-scenes that are in the game. It looks like decent quality and something you wouldn't mind sitting down and watching if you had to do so. The graphics and looks during the game appear to match a Sonic game really well, and don't distract from the player in the very least. Really, since the game does its joke and doesn't have some glaringly distracting errors in its look, everything appears to be fine to me in this area, which I dont look that heavily into anyway.
Replay Value
This is where I sort of feel the game is a bit mixed. The replay value of the game while you are playing it is decent, since you do have to go back to previous levels every now and then if you want to get all the shards, and blueprints. The blueprints do make the levels a bit easier, so it is in your best interest to try and find them all. Once you beat the game though, your main task would be if you wish to collect coins in the levels to spend at the shop to get little collectables. If you don't wish to do then, the only reason to go back to older levels now is just to relive them. This Sonic game isn't as bad as some in regards to replay value, but this is still an element I sometimes feel is a bit lacking at times.
Overall, if you enjoy platforming games, I think you would enjoy Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal as it offers all you would expect from a modern day platforming game. If you aren't a fan of Sonic though, or you are someone that isn't into this genre, it may be a game you want to skip. Still, if you enjoy Sonic games or just platforming games in general, this definitely looks to be a game that is worth your time and one you should consider picking up.
Overall, in my opinion, I would rate Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal a seven point five out of ten.
Gameplay: 9
Story:7
Graphics:8
Replay Value: 6
Overall: 7.5
Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal
A new Sonic game as just arrived, oh you know the complaints from people are going to start rolling in and I'm not surprised to see that it's out there. As much as you may want to listen to them, after playing this game for myself, most of the complaints seem unwarranted and untrue in some facts. Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal appears to me to be a decent 2Dish Sonic platforming game and appears to perform well in the areas that make a decent platforming game.
Gameplay
The most important part of this game is its gameplay. It delivers well in this area and keeps the pace of the game going well from the start. You start out playing only as Sonic, but you can slowly over the first few levels unlock Sonic's friends, Tails, Sticks, and Knuckles to join him as you play through the levels as you need each of their abilities to complete the levels and get all the collectables that each stage offers to the player. Sonic has his speed of course, but he also has his useful dash move that allows him to thrust in any of the four major directions for an additional boost or to break special sonic dash blocks. Tails can hover in place, meaning he can use fans to get him to areas that the others can't reach. He can also throw mines if need be at his enemies, as well as use the sea fox on special areas to collect blueprints. Sticks has her boomerang that can be remote controlled to hit switches to remove spike blockades, or to attack enemies or hit items that are out of reach of the other characters. Then finally, there is Knuckles, who uses his claws to dig into the ground to burrow to areas where the others cannot reach. You need each and every person to complete the levels, though most of the time, you will likely stick to Sonic as his boost ability makes not falling into pits easier.
Story
The story of Shattered Crystal involves an evil snake Lyric kidnapping Amy and using her to help him locate the shards of the lost crystal. The story is a bit on the simple side, but does what it goes out to do. The story has its serious moments, but is also mainly filled with jokes from the characters as they make their way around the world trying to track down Lyric and Amy. People may not like how Knuckles has been changed in this series and it is understandable due to the fact that he has become more or less the not so intelligent brute now. Sticks, the unique character of Sonic Boom is hit or miss with some people. If you don't mind someone that is overly paranoid and appears to not be well in touch with modern society, you are likely to enjoy Sticks quite a bit. Otherwise, if this is not to your liking, then Sticks will get annoying fast. Either way, the characters and story of Sonic Boom, while having its serious moments, tries pretty hard to show the characters personalities through their jokes and interaction from the still chat-box cut-scenes between many of the levels. There are some live action cut-scenes during the game, but they are very few of them, which is a little sad. If there were more of them, I do think it would have helped get you more into the story over all the chat-box scenes that are full of so much character joking.
Graphics
This game looks pretty decent for being on a handheld. It just goes to show these days how handhelds can produce decent graphics that can be very appealing, despite the smaller screen sizes. This is even shown rather well in the few live-action cut-scenes that are in the game. It looks like decent quality and something you wouldn't mind sitting down and watching if you had to do so. The graphics and looks during the game appear to match a Sonic game really well, and don't distract from the player in the very least. Really, since the game does its joke and doesn't have some glaringly distracting errors in its look, everything appears to be fine to me in this area, which I dont look that heavily into anyway.
Replay Value
This is where I sort of feel the game is a bit mixed. The replay value of the game while you are playing it is decent, since you do have to go back to previous levels every now and then if you want to get all the shards, and blueprints. The blueprints do make the levels a bit easier, so it is in your best interest to try and find them all. Once you beat the game though, your main task would be if you wish to collect coins in the levels to spend at the shop to get little collectables. If you don't wish to do then, the only reason to go back to older levels now is just to relive them. This Sonic game isn't as bad as some in regards to replay value, but this is still an element I sometimes feel is a bit lacking at times.
Overall, if you enjoy platforming games, I think you would enjoy Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal as it offers all you would expect from a modern day platforming game. If you aren't a fan of Sonic though, or you are someone that isn't into this genre, it may be a game you want to skip. Still, if you enjoy Sonic games or just platforming games in general, this definitely looks to be a game that is worth your time and one you should consider picking up.
Overall, in my opinion, I would rate Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal a seven point five out of ten.
Gameplay: 9
Story:7
Graphics:8
Replay Value: 6
Overall: 7.5
raviothelorulean
!raviothelorulean
I can't seem to unlock the first level of the Scrapyard. It says you need to complete 5 courses, and I've only got 4 done. What am I missing?
Tails_Fanatic
~tailsfanatic
OP
Have you been playing the worm levels and also collecting the blueprints and crystal? You need the sonic metals from these to help you advance further into the game.
