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Length isn't everything
It's very fortunate that the game's replay value is so great, because I finished the main game in about 3 hours, with all the emeralds. I know I've been trained up by countless hours on the big version recently, but the 3DS game is undeniably shorter than its big brother.
Above: Dash attack? Whoa, slow down there, Sonic - you want this to last, believe me
But fear not – even if going for better grades isn't your thing, there are also Mission challenges to unlock. A few of these open up as you play through the regular game, but most have to be purchased with Play Coins. That's a good thing, as I've personally had the full 300 Play Coins sat in my 3DS, waiting for something worth spending them on.
These missions start off with easy challenges, like destroy 10 badniks within a set time limit, or collect 50 rings. But they soon get much harder, requiring you to complete tasks such as 'finish a stage without touching the water at the bottom', or even completing an ultra hard platforming section while enemies fire projectiles at you. Oh yeah, without getting hit. There's zero pandering to the casual market here.
Above: These platforms contract, leaving you to fall into the water. Which sucks when you're doing a challenge that says you're not allowed to touch water
After blitzing the main levels in two days for S-grades, it's comforting to know the game will keep on drip-feeding extra content. In the mean-time, there's always the time attack mode with online leaderboards. You want to see a speedrun? Well, we haven't got capture facilities for... oh go on then:
It's all about how much you want to put into it, and there is plenty to enjoy if you bother to look outside of the main story mode. Shaving hundredths off of Green Hill is worthy of anyone's time - especially when it looks like this.
So not as good as Halo Reach?
In-jokes aside, it's a tricky game to score, as it's both brilliant and banal depending on how you approach it. Later levels are really hard and, to its credit, the game keeps giving you new things to do – especially when you get to Planet Wisp and get to use their abilities to find new routes. There are also hidden shortcuts that take you into the middle-background, which are always pleasantly surprising. It's just a shame the game doesn't make more of them.
Above: 1st time through? Cleared the spikes - well done. 20th? Jump... now to hit the next shortcut
It's also good to play a version of the final Time Eater boss that actually makes sense as a boss in a videogame. It looks gorgeous too – rivalling the preview code I saw of Kid Icarus: Uprising in terms of spectacle and airborne control. Getting an S-grade on this is one of the most challenging yet enjoyable moments on 3DS thus far. Damn you, clock hands!
But I think the end sequence cemented my thoughts on the game. While the credits are rolling, there are stills from Sonic Adventure on Dreamcast - and it looks amazing on the tiny screen. The 3DS hardware is clearly more powerful than Dreamcast – so why is the 3D so short-sighted here? It only ever swings 45 degrees round to show you what's ahead of you. Why doesn't Modern Sonic run around full 3D environments like he always has done?
Above: Emerald Coast on 3DS and on Dreamcast. The DC level is way better despite its age
If even the lowly Saturn can do free-roaming 3D Sonic (officially in Sonic Jam and unofficially in Sonic X-treme), I'm sure 3DS could have given us a classic 3D level from Sonic Adventure at least. It could even have been a straight port - the team wouldn't have had to even code a new level. I know I should judge the game on what it is rather than what it could have been, but when the 360/PS3 version's Modern Sonic levels were so good, it's a pity there's nothing like them here.
Above: Sections like this hint at into-the-screen 3D, but you're still just holding 'right'
Don't get me wrong - I adore the 3D treatment given to the old levels (especially Green Hill) and S-grade runs are breathless, precision affairs that look great and feel even better. But the new levels are just too unambitious and end up playing like Sonic's recent DS outings, only with polygonal visuals and 3D depth. That's still a worthy experience, but when Dreamcast's 12-years-old Emerald Coast blows its 3DS counterpart out of the water, there's something not quite right here.
