The world's best counterfeit games

Neo Sonic Universe

Ladies and gentlemen, we present the holy grail. A decent new Sonic game. Not only is Neo Sonic Universe fully 2D as nature intended, it's designer has the exact same appreciation of what made Sonic The Hedgehog great in the first place that Sega now seems to have completely lost.

Remembering that the early Sonic games weren't about the speed (seriously, they weren't), he's made an actual platformer that involves (shock!) actual platforming, wisely limiting the mach 5 sprints to little tension relievers after tricky jumping sections. No longer is victory a mere case of gluing down the right button on the d-pad and falling asleep (Sonic Advance 2 and 3, see us after class). This is a Sonic game you have to play.

Naturally, we'd have prefered the Mega Drive/Genesis sprites over the goofy-looking GBA ones, but hell, you can't have everything. Pick this one up at Sonic Fan Games HQ and keep your fingers crossed that Sonic Unleashed goes in a similar direction.

David Houghton
Long-time GR+ writer Dave has been gaming with immense dedication ever since he failed dismally at some '80s arcade racer on a childhood day at the seaside (due to being too small to reach the controls without help). These days he's an enigmatic blend of beard-stroking narrative discussion and hard-hitting Psycho Crushers.