TSW .\\v4.0 - Because we're l33t like that.

Story: 9/10

An ordinary day is broken by the appearance of two strangers. The start of Sonic Rush DS consists of the standard Good guy vs bad guy battle. Strangely it is a different enemy who is reminiscent of Dr. Robotnik. The first defeat of this enemy is followed quickly by the appearance of an odd emerald. Which is followed by the appearance of another stranger.

From this starting point he story moves into a story of mystery. Where did all these strange things and people come from? The internal struggle of Blaze was a little weak and quick. It made sense, however, so that allowed it to keep the story flowing. The idea of parallel dimensions is a fascinating theory. The usage of such a plot device allows for a different twist from most Sonic games. In fact this is a device used primarily by American style cartoons. The deviation is a refreshing course away from the standard set of Sonic versus an Eggman created evil. The story was solid, if slightly weak, which is what allows the score to stand high. The characters, both new and old, were done rather well and kept to the standard presets of Sonic characters. The story was done rather well, especially for a handheld game.

Gameplay: 9.5/10

My simple viewpoint is: "Amazing!" 2D gameplay is dominated by Sonic and Arcade fighter pilot shooters. This game is one of he high points for recent Sonic games. One of the main reasons is because it maintains the high-speed standard that is the essence of Sonic games and his root system the "Genesis/MegaDrive." Having to act on instinct and reflex is what a Sonic game is all about. Racing through and around things only to have to leap, spin, or turbo boost to avoid certain injury, or death, is a thrill rush all its own. Sonic rush delivers this quite effectively.

In addition, the control surface was done rather well. The use of most of the controls was amazingly well thought out. Combinations of buttons affected different things while keeping the standard set of simplicity. The buttons are simple. "Jump" and "dash" are the main things as usual. But when combined with air dashing, spinning, and tricks the end result is enough complexity to keep the gamer interested without making it overly difficult to run one's way through the level. The innovation for the special stages was also incredible. The programmers at SonicTeam managed to incorporate the touch screen for more than just making the levels seem bigger. By using it for the special stage they used classic Sonic gaming mixed with a new style to play. I still like using the controller itself but this was an interesting way to play.

The only problem with the gameplay are the boss battles. Many of the cool techniques one has are rendered useless in this mode. The very simple board of dashing side to side or in circles gets rather redundant. It was fun to attempt, and challenging, but not enough to allow a full score. The final battle sequence was also enjoyable although the response time for one movement that is essential was annoyingly slow which also lowered the score slightly.

Replay Value: 7/10

This rating is slightly biased, very slightly, because I do indeed enjoy replaying the game. First the levels are dynamic and full of non-stop action. Secondly the multiplayer mode is reminiscent of that from Sonic 2 and Sonic 3&K. In other words, it's very simple and pretty much as fun to play as the regular game. I couldn't give it a full score because the replay ability is only slightly above the average for most games. Once or twice through the story and you can have it memorized so the only replay is for going through the levels individually.

Graphics: 10

Amazing, truly astounding beyond belief. The hand-drawn backgrounds were amazing and gave the same vibrance that the original backgrounds did for the Genesis games. The sprites for the game were done well even with the fact that they were still images. The badniks were generic but beautifully rendered and placed in very effectively. I have no comments against how the graphics were done in this game. The sharp edges were reminiscent of the Original Sonic Adventure so it almost gave a feeling of nostalgia even though that wasn't necessarily the intended effect. Overall the graphics were amazing eye-candy. Even people who just watched the game enjoyed it. This wasn't fully due to the graphics, the high-speed action entertained just as much, but it aided rather well.

Overall: 8.8

A much better game than the overall grade shows but really only for the first or second time through. For Sonic collectors a buy is unavoidable because this is truly a gem. For the standard gamer one might borrow it or rent it. If nothing else, the action and amazing graphics are worth money.