Sonic and the Black KnightPublisher: Sega
Developer: Sonic Team
System: Wii
Release: March 3rd 2009, US
There hasn't been a well-reviewed or critically acclaimed Sonic game since Sonic Adventure 2 on the Dreamcast, nearly eight years ago. Sonic Team almost had it right with Sonic Unleashed, but dropped the ball with the werehog gimmick. Can Sonic and the Black Knight change this trend?
Sound 13/15
The soundtrack for the Black Knight actually sounds really good. You have your classic Sonic guitar rifts and fast paced beats, but there's an olden age Renaissance theme to it. There is voice acting in the game, but unfortunately it isn't too good. They're still using the same voice actor for Sonic as the have in the newer games and he sounds really cheesy, along with the rest of the voice actors.
Graphics 18/20
Sonic and the Black Knight is one of the prettier Wii games. Environments, character models and speed perception all look really good. Menus are very stylized, inspired by medeival art. In the single player mode there aren't any frame dips, but there are some noticable ones during the multiplayer mode of the game.
Appeal 7/25
This game is not fun, at all. Even if you're the biggest Sonic fan in the history of ever, chances are you probably won't enjoy this game. The main story is short, probably lasting around eight hours. If you can stomach it, there's an online mode where you try to get the best time possible on certain courses. There are also unlockable screenshots, movies abd collectable items, but they're all there for the sole reason of sentimental value.
Gameplay 5/40
We've already established that Sonic and the Black Knight is no fun to play, and here's why: it takes out everything you know and love from the Sonic franchise and replaces it with endless waggle and a sword. There isn't a single loop in the Black Knight, and those are a staple of the Sonic series. Yes, there is still the speed factor and it feels awesome when you're actually going fast, but itis destroyed by the combat. Waggle, not gestures, are players' method of attacking with Sonic's sword. To make it worse, you can't just whiz by enemies and cut them down. Sonic actually has to come to a complete stop to fight enemies. In most levels you'll have a nice run, then enemy fights, a smaller run and some more enemies, and so on and so forth, stopping completely to fight each enemy. You can jump and perform air strikes, but that requires massive waggling to pull off. Aside from there being no loops and complete slowdowns to fight enemies, the level designs are actually pretty good. On the other hand though, there are terribly ridiculous levels where players have to collect rings (which aren't even rings, they're yellow fairys) and give them to villagers. It's crazy to think about how great of a game Sonic and the Black Knight would be if players were able to just run past enemies and slash them down with out stopping at all, but sadly that's not the case.
Overall 43/100
If you like watching people play games, then you'll love Sonic and the Black Knight because the visuals are great. But if you like to actually play games, then chances are you aren't going to enjoy the Black Knight. It's riddled with far too many problems to consider even a rental. Avoid this game at all costs.
