Sonic Rivals 2 | a Review
originally published on 14/05/2021;
Hello everyone, I am the speedy speedier demon, G.E.M.Simov, a totally swift and effective maniac, and I still haven’t lost my speed, unlike Sonic, whom I'll be revisiting today, because of the fact I’m talking to you about Sonic Rivals 2, for the PSP.
This review will be shorter than usual, because the game it is reviewing is a direct sequel that barely changed anything from the original, so I’d urge you to take a look at my Sonic Rivals review before reading this one!
Simple review details - I rank games on an out of 10 basis, granting up to 3 points in 3 categories, as well as a last, single point from my own self, depending on my experience with it. Also, I am a gameplay designer and a writer so I got the credentials to talk shit.
Gameplay
All the issues previously mentioned in the Sonic Rivals review still apply to Sonic Rivals 2, although I got the feeling from this game that things had gotten a little better. Not explicitly gameplay wise, though the level design seems to be a tad more reasonable.
Now, what has actually changed is the Presentation of the game, but the part of it that affects Gameplay... I feel as if it has changed so drastically that… Maybe… This game is now reasonably manageable. It still isn’t all that fun, but it’s better than its predecessor. 2/3
Presentation
There is now Voice Acting! And it’s pretty good, on top of it all! But enough of that. The thing I mentioned in the Gameplay section of the review has a lot to do with the level design - or, rather, the presentation of the level design. There are a lot more moments when the camera zooms out - which is good. There are also small indicators that appear a round a second, or so, before the player slams their face into something, so that there’s more time to react.
This really improves the quality of life that the player experiences and there’s a lot more fun to be had. I would have given this a max score, if not for the fact that the music somehow got worse. It’s… It’s droning, it’s horrible, and I hate it. 2/3
Story
While the previous one had no story, or, rather, it pretended to have some story, but it was so lackluster that there was nothing I would not have rather done, instead of reading that shit. Now, there is a story. The characters have clear cut motivations, there is an actual setting, there is consistency in the locations that get wandered around, and, best of all, there’s more characters, who interact with others.
The improvements are massive, and yet I still feel as though the Story is very simple and VERY lackluster. 1/3
Legendary Point
Does this game get the legendary point, so craved and wanted by all and none at the same time? No. Much like its predecessor, this game does not grasp SPEED, and so it will not be sung of in legends. 0/1
Conclusion
5/10. This is a major improvement over Sonic Rivals, and, as such, it is a passable, decently average game. I would not recommend it to anybody who doesn’t know what Sonic is or who isn't a fan of Sonic, but, if you’ve got sympathy for the hedgehog, I figure you could give this one a ride and maybe even enjoy it.
Alas, it goes in the bag of mediocrity, with the bountiful collection of… Stuff that I’ve thrown in there. It could have been a lot better, too...