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"The Jet Gamer" Game Review: Sonic Boom Fire and Ice
9 years ago
Here we go with a Sonic game guys!
Sonic Boom: Fire and Ice
Well guys, you know I love Sonic and here we go with the newest Sonic game in the series. It is another entry in the Boom series, and we know how some people feel about that. Still, it is better if you look at it for yourselves before making any conclusions about it. I will do my best to show you all as well that I can be unbiased on a series that I do enjoy quite a bit. Let us take a closer look at the newest Sonic game and see if it is another good entry in the series or not shall we?
Gameplay
If you played Shattered Crystal before this one, then you have an idea of what the gameplay is like here. It hasn’t changed that much, which can be a good and a bad thing in some ways. The basic gameplay involves you running through a level looking for the goal which will let you move to the next level. In each level, you will eventually control all five main characters of the Boom series and you need to choose who is best for what situation to get to the end. However, unlike the original game, besides a few levels, most of the levels can be played with mostly just Sonic if you wish it. While this is a good thing to some, it does make some of the levels a bit too straight forward at times. Luckily there are lots of things that can keep you busy besides just running to the goal, and it also encourages you to try and use the other characters as well. Most of them have similar speed to one another luckily, which is a bit odd in a way, but it does make switching between characters easier as well if you aren’t going to lose much speed from doing so. Switching characters affects abilities mainly, such as Tails being able to hover on fans, Amy using her hammer to open doors, Sticks using the Boomerang to hit switches, and Knuckles being able to dig in the dirt. As I said though, a lot of this game is meant to be played with Sonic though, so you do have to keep in mind that using the other characters is often times your choice rather than something you need to do most of the time. Most levels usually can be done rather quickly when you actually are just trying to get to the end of the levels and that is it. There are alternate areas though to explore if you want to do so as you can find lots of collectables that can be used later in the game usually to unlock a few things here and there. They aren’t essential like in the first game though, so there is no need to find them all unless you want to do so or want to unlock everything. This again makes the game easier to get through, and it can move it along faster. Though that does bring up a gameplay issue I have and that is the game is a bit too short once again. When they go for the Sonic games that have more speed in them, they often forget that they need to make the games longer in exchange. This game is easy to finish in one or two sittings if you are just running through it, so if you are expecting a large amount of levels that are going to keep you busy for a while, then you aren’t getting that here. I think there around maybe two dozen normal levels, though there are some side levels that are more mini games than normal levels, such as the returning Tails Sea Fox levels, and the Sonic auto-run levels. These are neat, but they are just a quick mini game in a way and are not essential or even required to be done at all. Things have been made easier in this game though, and you can tell that is what they were going for. They tried to make the game be more streamlined and they made it so that just about everything on the side is optional, other than the main levels in the game. I do wish there were more bosses in the game, as the ones they do have are pretty good and inventive using both sides of the screen to play them. I just wish there were more than the very few there are. Also, while the gameplay has been made easier to get to the end of the levels and trying to make them more speed based, there is one little mechanic that is in this game that does sort of tick me off a bit. That mechanic is the throw back when you take a hit. Normally when you take a hit you take the hit, lose your rings and then can continue on. However, here I often times was taking hits and then being thrown back a few seconds in the level to areas that I had already been in before. It would throw me off my guard every now and then and would cause me to die. This seems a bit unnecessary and it can really throw you off if you aren’t paying attention. However, there is no more live system at all, so deaths really are just a free retry in a way. Again, this does show they went for making the game easier for the average player, as they no longer have to fear death and game over’s at all. Also, there is the new fire and ice mechanic that is being shown in this game. As you are running around, you can constantly change your active element that is surrounding you from fire and ice, hence the name of the game. These powers can be used to melt ice in your way or free water, or even light wicks. You will have to be constantly paying attention to make sure you don’t need to change elements, otherwise you could be brought to sudden stops or you could fall and get yourself hit by spikes. It is a neat concept and it does keep you on your toes I must say. It also does feel a bit gimmicky and I can see this being a onetime thing that they tried for this game. So yeah, while I enjoy the gameplay here of this game, I do see some improvements that could have been made for sure, but overall, the gameplay is still your classic sonic game and it is still fun. I just in some areas feels they might have oversimplified it a bit too much really.
Story
The story is actually pretty good to be honest. It plays out just like an episode of the tv show and I have to commend it for that. It really does feel like it is part of the series. You are playing as the sonic crew as they are roaming around the local continent trying to stop a bunch of fissures that have popped up and seem to be having some abnormal effect on the weather. It is up to your crew to go around and close them with your new fire and ice powers. You are trying to stop whatever Eggman is up to as he is obviously behind it as you also chance around this small robot as well. He is basically in charge of guarding the fissures, but you are chasing him around trying to stop whatever he is doing. The game is full of the normal jokes that the series is known for, and what story you get really does feel like it is part of an episode. However, there is one flaw that pulls the story down a bit and that is the short length of the game. As with the number of levels, the amount of story you get is limited. Don’t get me wrong, what story you do get actually fits right along with the series pretty well, there just doesn’t seem to be enough of it is all. I just wanted them to add more. So yeah, if you like the Boom series, you will enjoy the story as it fits along nicely, you are just going to be left clamoring for more, just like with the show in a way with their short lengths.
Graphics
The graphics are pretty good for a 3DS game I must say. The cut scenes are pretty good and fit with the game’s graphics well and do feel like they could be easily changed into being episodes, if you used the cartoons style of course. My real only complaint is that at times things do have a slightly blurry or pixilated look to them when you really look at them. There just seems to be something about it at times that can make you just have this small bit of blur or things can just look a little off is all. I didn’t really see glitches at all, which is a good thing, since people like to try and complain about them all the time. Things appeared to run smooth and slowdown looked to be nonexistent as well. So yeah, other than some occasional blurriness and such like that, which I feel could be easily fixed up if needed; the graphics are fine for a 3DS level game I would say.
Sound
Most Sonic games have good music and this really is no exception. The music here is pretty good and it of course fits the Sonic style. Each level gets its own tunes and you get to enjoy them whenever you want easily enough in the sound area at Sonic’s house. They do lack that memorableness to them that I feel warrants the perfect sound score, but they are still neat tunes. The voice acting is great though and it fits perfectly and sounds great. It is of course all the actors from the show and the lines and script line up just fine. You can tell the same people wrote the lines for this game that write for the show as they have that certain style to them. So yeah, I know some of these areas are pretty short, but hey, when you do a good job on certain areas, it is about all I can say but good job really and that they fit and do what they need to do. So yeah, enjoy the sound in another Sonic game.
Control
The controls are pretty good, but I will mention that they are going to take some time to get used to when you first start. You are trying to do so many things at once, that it can be a bit overwhelming when you first try the game out. You need to steer, jump, change when you want to run or not, attack things and also a big one, change when you want to be fire or ice element. It is just so much at one time, that if you don’t take the time to get used to the controls, you are going to be frustrated a lot. Still, when you get more into the controls, you will start to see that they aren’t that bad. It just requires you to be pretty good at thinking on the fly and making sure you are hitting the buttons you are meaning to hit. It can be very easy, especially right when you are getting started in this game, to get frustrated with the controls a bit. However, if you learn what the game asks of you, the controls do start to become a bit more natural over time. Just put the time into them to make sure you are pressing what you are meaning to press. There were very few instances where missed jumps were the games fault and not miss-presses on my part. So yeah, the controls are more just that initial shock that can throw you off, but given a little time, you can easily get used to them and not have many problems after that.
Replay Value
Finally, there is the replay value in this game. It is actually pretty good when you look at it overall. The game is short enough for the casual player to want to play through it again rather quickly if they just want to do that quick run to the goal ring and that’s it sort of thing. However, there are more things that other players can do as well. As I mentioned, there are collectables in the levels that allow you to unlock small things and there if you wish to unlock them. Things that can be unlocked for example are racing bots for the running levels, different hammers for Amy, and even concept art for the show itself. This can be interesting if you like collecting things, but once again, it is all optional, and other than the concept art and information about the show that some might find interesting, everything else is not really that important, so it depends on if you like collecting things and if you are going for a complete percentage file or not. As I mentioned earlier as well, this game is a bit on the short side, so that brings about both a positive and a negative. Seeing as many people seem to want to complain about them not being able to speed through Sonic games as much as they would want to, that option is now available to those kind of people. However, if you are one of the people that want to get some very long longevity out of the game, this game, while having some need collectables and side levels to play, it won’t keep you around for a super long time. It actually isn’t that hard to complete the game and the collectables aren’t that hard to find, if you make use of the map function and just pay attention and slowdown in the levels. So yeah, it is a bit of a double edged sword. Do you want to be able to play through the game quickly whenever you want? This is very doable and if you are going for a speed session can make the game last just a few hours. However, if you want something to last you for quite some time, I don’t think you are going to get it here, as this game is short, even with the collectables and unlockables.
Overall, I must say that Sonic Boom: Fire and Ice is a good game and an improvement over shattered crystal, but it is still held back by a few flaws here and there that could have made its score be a bit higher than it turned out to be. A lot of this has to do with the short length of the game. While there are a few flaws here and there with the gameplay, so much of the game does come back to how short it is and the lack of long term replay value. The game is still good overall and it shows that Sonic games can be good. I know some people won’t feel this way, but I hope I showed you that I can point out the flaws in a fair way as well . The game is good, but there are a few flaws that do keep it from being a perfect game. I would still recommend picking it up if you want some Sonic on the go though. While it is very short, I’m sure you would like it still. Just don’t expect to be playing it for a super long time is all.
Overall, in my opinion at least, I give Sonic Boom: Fire and Ice an eight out of ten.
Gameplay: 7
Story: 8
Graphics: 8
Sound: 9
Control: 8
Replay Value: 7
Overall: 8
Sonic Boom: Fire and Ice
Well guys, you know I love Sonic and here we go with the newest Sonic game in the series. It is another entry in the Boom series, and we know how some people feel about that. Still, it is better if you look at it for yourselves before making any conclusions about it. I will do my best to show you all as well that I can be unbiased on a series that I do enjoy quite a bit. Let us take a closer look at the newest Sonic game and see if it is another good entry in the series or not shall we?
Gameplay
If you played Shattered Crystal before this one, then you have an idea of what the gameplay is like here. It hasn’t changed that much, which can be a good and a bad thing in some ways. The basic gameplay involves you running through a level looking for the goal which will let you move to the next level. In each level, you will eventually control all five main characters of the Boom series and you need to choose who is best for what situation to get to the end. However, unlike the original game, besides a few levels, most of the levels can be played with mostly just Sonic if you wish it. While this is a good thing to some, it does make some of the levels a bit too straight forward at times. Luckily there are lots of things that can keep you busy besides just running to the goal, and it also encourages you to try and use the other characters as well. Most of them have similar speed to one another luckily, which is a bit odd in a way, but it does make switching between characters easier as well if you aren’t going to lose much speed from doing so. Switching characters affects abilities mainly, such as Tails being able to hover on fans, Amy using her hammer to open doors, Sticks using the Boomerang to hit switches, and Knuckles being able to dig in the dirt. As I said though, a lot of this game is meant to be played with Sonic though, so you do have to keep in mind that using the other characters is often times your choice rather than something you need to do most of the time. Most levels usually can be done rather quickly when you actually are just trying to get to the end of the levels and that is it. There are alternate areas though to explore if you want to do so as you can find lots of collectables that can be used later in the game usually to unlock a few things here and there. They aren’t essential like in the first game though, so there is no need to find them all unless you want to do so or want to unlock everything. This again makes the game easier to get through, and it can move it along faster. Though that does bring up a gameplay issue I have and that is the game is a bit too short once again. When they go for the Sonic games that have more speed in them, they often forget that they need to make the games longer in exchange. This game is easy to finish in one or two sittings if you are just running through it, so if you are expecting a large amount of levels that are going to keep you busy for a while, then you aren’t getting that here. I think there around maybe two dozen normal levels, though there are some side levels that are more mini games than normal levels, such as the returning Tails Sea Fox levels, and the Sonic auto-run levels. These are neat, but they are just a quick mini game in a way and are not essential or even required to be done at all. Things have been made easier in this game though, and you can tell that is what they were going for. They tried to make the game be more streamlined and they made it so that just about everything on the side is optional, other than the main levels in the game. I do wish there were more bosses in the game, as the ones they do have are pretty good and inventive using both sides of the screen to play them. I just wish there were more than the very few there are. Also, while the gameplay has been made easier to get to the end of the levels and trying to make them more speed based, there is one little mechanic that is in this game that does sort of tick me off a bit. That mechanic is the throw back when you take a hit. Normally when you take a hit you take the hit, lose your rings and then can continue on. However, here I often times was taking hits and then being thrown back a few seconds in the level to areas that I had already been in before. It would throw me off my guard every now and then and would cause me to die. This seems a bit unnecessary and it can really throw you off if you aren’t paying attention. However, there is no more live system at all, so deaths really are just a free retry in a way. Again, this does show they went for making the game easier for the average player, as they no longer have to fear death and game over’s at all. Also, there is the new fire and ice mechanic that is being shown in this game. As you are running around, you can constantly change your active element that is surrounding you from fire and ice, hence the name of the game. These powers can be used to melt ice in your way or free water, or even light wicks. You will have to be constantly paying attention to make sure you don’t need to change elements, otherwise you could be brought to sudden stops or you could fall and get yourself hit by spikes. It is a neat concept and it does keep you on your toes I must say. It also does feel a bit gimmicky and I can see this being a onetime thing that they tried for this game. So yeah, while I enjoy the gameplay here of this game, I do see some improvements that could have been made for sure, but overall, the gameplay is still your classic sonic game and it is still fun. I just in some areas feels they might have oversimplified it a bit too much really.
Story
The story is actually pretty good to be honest. It plays out just like an episode of the tv show and I have to commend it for that. It really does feel like it is part of the series. You are playing as the sonic crew as they are roaming around the local continent trying to stop a bunch of fissures that have popped up and seem to be having some abnormal effect on the weather. It is up to your crew to go around and close them with your new fire and ice powers. You are trying to stop whatever Eggman is up to as he is obviously behind it as you also chance around this small robot as well. He is basically in charge of guarding the fissures, but you are chasing him around trying to stop whatever he is doing. The game is full of the normal jokes that the series is known for, and what story you get really does feel like it is part of an episode. However, there is one flaw that pulls the story down a bit and that is the short length of the game. As with the number of levels, the amount of story you get is limited. Don’t get me wrong, what story you do get actually fits right along with the series pretty well, there just doesn’t seem to be enough of it is all. I just wanted them to add more. So yeah, if you like the Boom series, you will enjoy the story as it fits along nicely, you are just going to be left clamoring for more, just like with the show in a way with their short lengths.
Graphics
The graphics are pretty good for a 3DS game I must say. The cut scenes are pretty good and fit with the game’s graphics well and do feel like they could be easily changed into being episodes, if you used the cartoons style of course. My real only complaint is that at times things do have a slightly blurry or pixilated look to them when you really look at them. There just seems to be something about it at times that can make you just have this small bit of blur or things can just look a little off is all. I didn’t really see glitches at all, which is a good thing, since people like to try and complain about them all the time. Things appeared to run smooth and slowdown looked to be nonexistent as well. So yeah, other than some occasional blurriness and such like that, which I feel could be easily fixed up if needed; the graphics are fine for a 3DS level game I would say.
Sound
Most Sonic games have good music and this really is no exception. The music here is pretty good and it of course fits the Sonic style. Each level gets its own tunes and you get to enjoy them whenever you want easily enough in the sound area at Sonic’s house. They do lack that memorableness to them that I feel warrants the perfect sound score, but they are still neat tunes. The voice acting is great though and it fits perfectly and sounds great. It is of course all the actors from the show and the lines and script line up just fine. You can tell the same people wrote the lines for this game that write for the show as they have that certain style to them. So yeah, I know some of these areas are pretty short, but hey, when you do a good job on certain areas, it is about all I can say but good job really and that they fit and do what they need to do. So yeah, enjoy the sound in another Sonic game.
Control
The controls are pretty good, but I will mention that they are going to take some time to get used to when you first start. You are trying to do so many things at once, that it can be a bit overwhelming when you first try the game out. You need to steer, jump, change when you want to run or not, attack things and also a big one, change when you want to be fire or ice element. It is just so much at one time, that if you don’t take the time to get used to the controls, you are going to be frustrated a lot. Still, when you get more into the controls, you will start to see that they aren’t that bad. It just requires you to be pretty good at thinking on the fly and making sure you are hitting the buttons you are meaning to hit. It can be very easy, especially right when you are getting started in this game, to get frustrated with the controls a bit. However, if you learn what the game asks of you, the controls do start to become a bit more natural over time. Just put the time into them to make sure you are pressing what you are meaning to press. There were very few instances where missed jumps were the games fault and not miss-presses on my part. So yeah, the controls are more just that initial shock that can throw you off, but given a little time, you can easily get used to them and not have many problems after that.
Replay Value
Finally, there is the replay value in this game. It is actually pretty good when you look at it overall. The game is short enough for the casual player to want to play through it again rather quickly if they just want to do that quick run to the goal ring and that’s it sort of thing. However, there are more things that other players can do as well. As I mentioned, there are collectables in the levels that allow you to unlock small things and there if you wish to unlock them. Things that can be unlocked for example are racing bots for the running levels, different hammers for Amy, and even concept art for the show itself. This can be interesting if you like collecting things, but once again, it is all optional, and other than the concept art and information about the show that some might find interesting, everything else is not really that important, so it depends on if you like collecting things and if you are going for a complete percentage file or not. As I mentioned earlier as well, this game is a bit on the short side, so that brings about both a positive and a negative. Seeing as many people seem to want to complain about them not being able to speed through Sonic games as much as they would want to, that option is now available to those kind of people. However, if you are one of the people that want to get some very long longevity out of the game, this game, while having some need collectables and side levels to play, it won’t keep you around for a super long time. It actually isn’t that hard to complete the game and the collectables aren’t that hard to find, if you make use of the map function and just pay attention and slowdown in the levels. So yeah, it is a bit of a double edged sword. Do you want to be able to play through the game quickly whenever you want? This is very doable and if you are going for a speed session can make the game last just a few hours. However, if you want something to last you for quite some time, I don’t think you are going to get it here, as this game is short, even with the collectables and unlockables.
Overall, I must say that Sonic Boom: Fire and Ice is a good game and an improvement over shattered crystal, but it is still held back by a few flaws here and there that could have made its score be a bit higher than it turned out to be. A lot of this has to do with the short length of the game. While there are a few flaws here and there with the gameplay, so much of the game does come back to how short it is and the lack of long term replay value. The game is still good overall and it shows that Sonic games can be good. I know some people won’t feel this way, but I hope I showed you that I can point out the flaws in a fair way as well . The game is good, but there are a few flaws that do keep it from being a perfect game. I would still recommend picking it up if you want some Sonic on the go though. While it is very short, I’m sure you would like it still. Just don’t expect to be playing it for a super long time is all.
Overall, in my opinion at least, I give Sonic Boom: Fire and Ice an eight out of ten.
Gameplay: 7
Story: 8
Graphics: 8
Sound: 9
Control: 8
Replay Value: 7
Overall: 8
