User blog:Shadowunleashed13/Sonic Lost World: Ratings central

Now that Sonic Lost World is finally out in Europe, reviewers are pouncing on the game for a chance to share their opinions on the long-anticipated next title in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. And so I've provided a rundown of the different reviews we've seen so far, including a descriptive paragraph of each. Let's take a look at what they have to say.

Famitsu
Video game publication Famitsu was the first to give Sonic Lost World a numerical score. All four reviewers who looked at the game gave the Wii U version a 9/10, while the 3DS version scored an 8.5/10. A good start, eh?

IGN
IGN, despite praising the game before its release, slammed the Wii U version with a mediocre score of 5.8. Although IGN's official preview was titled "Why Slowing Down is a Good Thing", a completely different opinion is presented here. Reviewer Vince Ingenito finds fault in many aspects of the game such as the speed, the parkour system, and the platforming, calling it a "big blue speed bump" and "a big disappointment for Sega’s speeding blue bullet". The only good comments made about the game concerned the graphics and the design (in the aspect that the game is almost impossible to break).


 * After the success of Sonic 4, Colors, and Generations, this is a big disappointment for Sega’s speeding blue bullet. Sonic Lost World clumsily tears all the wrong pages out of the Super Mario Galaxy playbook, and in so doing, loses the breathless speed and fluidity that makes a Sonic game a Sonic game. Graphically it may talk the talk, but the controls and level design just can’t walk the walk, much less run it.

Nintendo Life
Nintendo Life reviewed both versions of the game as well. The reviewer complements the game for its storytelling, although it is aimed at younger audiences, and comments that the amount of work put into the game is evident. Also noted was the "reasonable soundtrack" which "cheerily blazes away". But faults in the game are also highlighted: the life system, exasperating death traps, a difficulty spike late in the game, etc. Overall, the Wii U version received a 7/10 while the 3DS version dropped to a 5/10. (Also, it's noted that stages can take up to 10 minutes)


 * Sonic Lost World shows flashes of brilliance, where clever design, bright visuals and a daring sense of fun align perfectly. There are a few significant lows, however, and a raft of content that is passable but easily forgotten. That leaves us with an uneven experience that we recommend to keen Sonic fans without hesitation, but suggest that the less committed should think carefully. If dealing with frustration to reach high points is an acceptable sacrifice of your gaming time then this is worth strong consideration, but be under no illusions — this isn't the definitive Sonic experience we may have desired.

Eurogamer
Eurogamer dropped a low score of 4/10 on the Wii U version. The review begins with amazement at the highlights, but then states that it makes the frustration of playing the game more acute. According to the review, the game is at its best only when the player has minimal control. Many faults are found: locking onto enemies is imprecise, enemy placement can be cheap, the camera jerks, the Wisps can ruin a level's pacing, etc. The final verdict: a "disjointed, flabby mess of a game".


 * It's telling that the highlights of Lost World are the moments where Sonic Team allows the hedgehog to do what he does best: high-velocity platforming that tests your ability to follow high-speed action and to reflexively respond to danger. Sonic thrives on simplicity, and I still think Sega could reinvent him for the mobile market: give PastaGames a call, perhaps, and get them to make a side-scroller along the lines of Rayman Jungle Run rather than the aggressively monetised Sonic Dash. There are fleeting signs here that such an approach could work. Yet these brief flickers of life are few and far between, buried within a flabby, disjointed mess of a game.

Destructoid
Destructoid, despite all the low scores around it, gave the Wii U version of the game a 7.5/10. "Sonic might be on to something", the review claims. Speed is everything, it says, and learning when to slow down is crucial. It praises the game for its "elegant" parkour system and its "more interesting combat", and says Lost World has "some of the best level design in the entire series". Although it does highlight a few faults in the game, the review concedes that the positives outweigh the negatives.


 * Sonic Lost World most certainly requires some acclimation on the part of the player. In fact, I despised it when I first started, and it wasn't until I got used to the subtle intricacies and replayed a few levels with a fresh perspective that I found myself having a ton of fun with it. Levels mostly work great with the new gameplay, boast excellent setpieces, and use speed as a reward to satisfying effect. Lost World is also pretty damn good as both a 3D and 2D platformer, with the controls and physics shockingly adept at both types of gameplay -- very useful, since some stages shift constantly between the two styles to great effect.

Joystiq
Joystiq pulled a 2.5/5 (5/10) on Sonic Lost World. The review states the game offers a joyful platforming experience that falters in its latter half, but that it never fully recovers from its missteps. Although the reviewer enjoyed the first half of the game, he found that in the second half of the game, Sonic Lost World "ditches most of its best elements for a stab at variety".


 * Sonic Colors showcased a keen understanding of what made Sonic great, and successfully expanded on the series' formula with the introduction of Wisp power-ups. It's admirable that Sonic: Lost World tries to shift the series in a new direction, and the results meet with limited success, especially in earlier levels. Its gameplay variety is appreciated up to a point, but Sonic: Lost World misses the mark more often than it succeeds, as frustrating level design and unimaginative boss encounters are enough to overshadow its fleeting moments of brilliance.

Wii U version

 * AnaitGames: 5/10
 * CVG: 7/10
 * Destructoid: 7.5/10
 * Digital Chumps: 5.6/10
 * Digital Spy: 4/5
 * Edge: 4/10
 * The Escapist: 2.5/5
 * EuroGamer: 4/10
 * Famitsu: 36/40
 * GameTrailers: 7.6/10
 * IGN: 5.8/10
 * Jeuxvideo: 15/20
 * Joystiq: 2.5/5
 * Games Radar: 4/5
 * Gamesbeat: 85/100
 * Gameblog.fr: 3.5/5
 * Gameinformer: 5/10
 * Gamekult: 5/10
 * GameReactor Spain/Norway/Portugal: 8/10
 * GameReactor Sweden/Germany: 6/10
 * Gamespot: 5/10
 * Gametsyde: Favourable
 * Guardian: 4/5
 * Nintendo Life: 7/10
 * Nintendo World Report: 9/10
 * Polygon: 6/10
 * TheSixthAxis: 7/10
 * Videogamer: 5/10
 * Wiitalia: 6/10

Average score: 6.25/10

3DS version

 * AnaitGames: 4/10
 * Famitsu: 34/40
 * GameReactor Spain: 5/10
 * NintendoLife: 5/10
 * Polygon: 4/10
 * Wiitalia: 6/10

Average score: 5.4/10