Sonic Colors

Common Sense Media says

Fast (too fast?), exciting chapter in this hedgehog story.

Age(i)

2
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Quality(i)

 
(i)
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What parents need to know

Positive messages

In this very cartoony story, good guys are good and bad guys are bad. There's no moral ambiguity. The characters who are kind, helpful, and brave are the ones you're supposed to like and relate with.

Positive role models

Sonic is a clear-cut hero, who does what he needs to in order to rescue aliens in need.

Ease of play

There are several different control schemes you can choose from. Tilting the Wii remote to steer proves a bit tricky since the game moves at such a fast speed. However, attaching a nunchuk and using its control stick to steer feels like it gives you much more control over the action. Newbies might have trouble with the tutorial system, though: you can receive instructions whenever you hit a big question mark on a course, but if you're not great with steering your high-speed hedgehog, you can easily miss the tutorial points and never get the instructions you need.

Violence & scariness

As Sonic zips along, he performs spin attacks to destroy robot enemies, which sometimes explode. There are also longer boss battles (also against robots) that require repeated attacks.

Language
Not applicable
Consumerism

Sonic the Hedgehog is one of the longer running franchises in video game-dom, and has books, cartoons, and toys associated with it.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Sonic Colors is the latest in a very long line of Sonic the Hedgehog games. It's a cartoony action tale that features violence only against robots. The plot does involve a villain kidnapping cute innocent aliens, however. As is typical of Sonic games, the action moves incredibly fast as Sonic zips along, and it can actually be disorienting for some players.

Parents say

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Kids say

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What's it about?

The evil Dr. Eggman seems to have changed his ways in SONIC COLORS. He's built an intergalactic amusement park to provide fun for the whole galaxy. Sonic the Hedgehog is suspicious, though, and when he visits, he discovers that the park is just a trap to help Eggman take cute little aliens captive. As Sonic races around and saves the aliens, called Wisps, they each provide him with a special power. Depending on the color of the wisp, it may give him an extra speed boost, let him fly, help him stick to walls, or even become indestructible for a brief time.

Is it any good?

QUALITY
 

Sonic Colors feels like one of the better entries in this long-running game series. Sure, those not used to Sonic games can get disoriented by the insane speed at which it plays (heck, even Sonic veterans can be), but that ridiculous pace has always been part of Sonic's appeal. This new game caters to both old-school and new-gen gamers, as it flips back and forth between 3-D and 2-D sidescrolling formats -- often within the same level. The new powers are fun to use when you can manage to snatch them up, and the vibrant worlds full of hidden detours are exciting to re-explore after you've completed them initially. The tutorial system certainly could have been planned out better, but beyond that, this is a solid game.

Families can talk about...

  • Families can talk about the fighting action in the game. Sonic only fights robots. Is violence less impactful when it's enacted against non-human characters?

  • Would the game feel different if the bad guys were alien creatures? What if they were humans?

Game details

Platforms:Nintendo Wii
Price:$39.99
Available online?Not available online
Developer:Sega of America
Release date:November 16, 2010
Genre:Action/Adventure
ESRB rating:E for Cartoon Violence (Nintendo Wii)

This review of Sonic Colors was written by

Christopher Healy

About our rating system

  • ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
  • PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
  • OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
  • NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids of any age.

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Quality

Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Learning ratings

  • Best: Really engaging, great learning approach.
  • Very Good: Engaging, good learning approach.
  • Good: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
  • Fair: Somewhat engaging, okay learning approach.
  • Not for Learning: Not recommended for learning.
  • Not for Kids: Not age-appropriate for kids; not recommended for learning.

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Teen, 13 years old Written byTheHonestTruth March 8, 2011
AGE
8
QUALITY
 
This game went a notch up from what I was expecting. I'm not a big fan of the sonic fanchise but I gave this game a shot and ended up renting it. One concern I have is of how short it is. I played it over the weekend and finished it in four hours although some of the levels were hard and took me a few tries. The bosses were easier that the level and probably the easiest bosses in a video game. The only violence is when sonic hits a robot or machine it give of a cartoonish explosion. Overall it was just okay for me the cutscenes voice acting and music were all pluses. Yeah I'd say it's worth playing. It's a great game for younger kids. It's filled with both quirky humor and epicness.
What other families should know
Too much violence
Great messages
Great role models
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Teen, 13 years old Written byEclipes December 19, 2010
AGE
8
QUALITY
 

game beater

i love that game i eat the hole game in 2 days and got super sonic in 1 day
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Teen, 14 years old Written byIwaki April 17, 2011
AGE
13
QUALITY
 

A HUGE, HUGE IMPROVEMENT over the past few Sonic games.

I'm a 14 year old Sonic fan. Sonic and the Secret Rings was not too easy to control, but it did try its best to get me into the game. Sonic Unleashed was the worst out of all three failed Sonic games I've played. The plot was extremely stupid for a 14 year old like me. The Werehog? DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED. Sonic and the Black Knight was boring, too. All it was, was the story of King Arthur, with Sonic the Hedgehog plastered all over it. Sonic Colours at least has some replay value to me. The game has improved controls, so I think SEGA's getting ready for the Wii's best technology, and maybe the DS, too. The fact there are helpers in this game that do certain things really makes me happy as all of them have problem-solving abilities that aren't beat-em-up like Sonic the Werecrap. Worth a buy unless your child DOES NOT LIKE SONIC AT ALL.
What other families should know
Great messages
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