SONIC RUSH ADVENTURE: The Forgotten Booty | GEEK CRITIQUE

The tale of a game that I bought way back in 2007, but never finished (and barely played) until it was time to make an episode about it. Like Secret Rings, it was initially very well-regarded. Unlike Secret Rings, its reputation hasn't really devolved... rather, it's just been forgotten. Nobody talks about it anymore. This booty has been lost.
Not like that. Like... like *treasure*. Because this game has pirates. Wait, where are you going, come back!
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[@GeekCritique]

LIFE STARTS WITH A SUNNY DAY - I mean, uh.... hi! Don't forget that you can see TGC for SONIC & THE BLACK KNIGHT, which is in fact THE longest episode I've ever made, right now for just $1 at www.patreon.com/GeekCritique ! It'll be coming to KZbin next week, Dec. 23! A NEW VENTURE, LA-LAAAAA~!

[@trevorromein14]

20:35 I see what you did there lmao

[@LateOne15]

The longest episode ever?! Wow, I’m shocked that it’s Black Knight of all things.

[@Gigas0101]

Great review, but watch your whole nothers. You're smarter than that.

[@DarthBobCat]

I've never cared about Black Knight, but you made that game interesting. Patreon money well Spent.

[@elibonham4388]

Honestly you have the best reviews on youtube at least for gaming. Every single sonic review doesn't have perspective they follow the same format and they summarize the story🙄. Your reviews are honestly like really really well made and super enjoyable

[@reidwithoutacause]

Man josh sure loves the word “swashbuckling”

[@GeekCritique]

I blame Donkey Kong Country 2.

[@StriderZessei]

To be fair, if ever a Sonic game buckled swashes, it was Sonic Rush Adventure.

[@ForrestFox626]

It's a fun word!

[@erikmclennan3934]

And yet not once does he use the word "hornswoggled". Coincidence? I really doubt it.

[@WillowEpp]

Same, tbh.

[@Crow_Rising]

"The reviewer's trap" is actually part of a broader phenomenon that can be called "The backlogger's trap". As a kid you probably don't have a ton of games. Most of them you do have, you've probably already beaten, so when you do get a new game you've got a lot of time to just laser focus on it for extended periods of time, and you don't worry about something taking a long time to complete. In fact, this is a bonus because you need something to do when you get home from school or etc. Once you get older and start having money of your own to spend on games however, it gets easy to start growing a backlog as someone who plays games as their main hobby. Games are coming out and going on sale at a faster pace than you can finish them. Regardless of if you're playing through them as your job for a review or just going through casually for fun, you have it in the back of your mind that by the time you finish a game you very well may have several more added to your backlog. Just playing games and putting them down isn't very satisfying, you want to at least finish the story, and so anything that holds you back from doing so for any real length of time can become an unbearable chore. You just want to be able to say you beat the thing so you can move on to the next game and put a dent in that backlog. RPG's in particular are like weapons of mass destruction in any backlog. They tend to be quite long, in some cases even being hundreds of hours long. If you're the kind of person prone to burnout, RPG's can really suck to have in your backlog because they take so long to get out of it. This can especially suck if you're the kind of person that actually genuinely enjoys RPG's but also really wants to trim your backlog down to size.

[@ericwindsor339]

Is there a way to get out of that though? I definitely find myself in that same situation and I hate it lol

[@Crow_Rising]

@@ericwindsor339 Here's the best I've been able to think of, but it requires a huge shift in mindset: 1. Don't feel so obligated to finish games. If you're starting to not enjoy playing it, don't be afraid to put it down. Forcing yourself to finish games is too liable to ruin the experience and invoke burnout. Especially if you feel like getting your money's worth, enjoying the game on your own terms is crucial. 2. Don't buy every game as soon as it comes out. It's okay to impulse spend on hotly desired items from time to time, but generally you should keep a wishlist of games you're interested in and grab them while they're on sale. If you already have several games you're doing ongoing playthroughs for, it might even be best to not buy any games at all for the time being and simply wait for another sale down the line when your backlog clears up a bit. This makes things easier on your backlog and saves you lots of money in the process. Don't feel ashamed if you're unable to do one or both of these shifts in mindset. It can be a difficult transition to make and certainly isn't going to make your backlog disappear much faster. However, pulling it off is better for your mental health and financial stability.

[@eclect]

​@@ericwindsor339there are some games that you are just never going to play, accept it and let them go. Sometimes a game seems good at the time and then years pass and it didn't age that well and in hindsight it wasn't quite as good as it seemed at the time. You don't actually need to play it

[@angryretailbanker5103]

My God.... You've described me perfectly. And you've described why I don't play RPGs anymore.

[@lightninstriker10]

@@Crow_Rising This is an outlook I adopted in the last few years and it's been so, so liberating. "I am a gamer, therefore I must game." is a toxic mindset to have if you view it as an obligation, it's more important that you're having fun and the rest will come naturally, like a good book, once a game has it's hooks in you, you're liable to see it through to the end but you've also got to let those hooks set as well, and if something just isn't grabbing you in the moment, let it fall away and pick it back up later. Time may be a constant, but *your* time is more valuable than the game's. I personally don't even look at it as having a "backlog" now, I just keep 2-3 games in my peripheral as what I might like to pick up next and start playing, see if they grab me. I usually play at least two games at a time now so I have something to jump over to if I need a break from the other, and I find that to be a comfortable way to keep things fresh.

[@MerelyAFan]

Sonic Rush Adventure feels one of the last vestiges of the experimental nature of the spin-offs. That was one of the interesting things about the series (and often gaming in general) when non-mobile portable consoles were still active and before HD development raised the costs so much that the focus of many IP's shifted to mainline titles. Various companies could basically try out wacky ideas or gimmicks without risking too much money or alienating the general fanbase. SRA embodies that in a lot of ways, with the introduction of a new comedic sidekick with Marine, an original antagonist via Captain Whisker, and even interesting gameplay ambitions via the boat aspect. it doesn't all land, but the elements didn't feel like they were necessarily intended to be permanent, and it felt like a healthy era where you could just have a side Sonic game where boat upgrades could be a gameplay aspect and the audience would largely embrace it. After this it was never quite like that. Colors DS would be fantastic, yet even that felt like part of a growing trend to consolidate the portable releases with their home console counterparts and while the quality of the former would go up and down, they overall felt much safer in what they were going for. Even the Sonic Boom 3DS games, while far better than their WII U equivalent still seemed like they were going through typical platformer tropes, even with the respective powers given to the cast. In that sense Sonic Rush Adventure is a charming reminder of when the series could effectively balance its ambitions with its executions and that there was a gaming market that supported that kind of game.

[@sboinkthelegday3892]

The era when ideas had to be pushed with a SAFE IP, instead of making brand new games like Splatoon; and consoles like Wii U that are honest in their marketing, so they fail, instead of get SUED for false marketing and still fail, like Vita. Don't worry, now that consumers came around and finally GOT the portable gamepad because it DOESN'T come with a console, Sega has made a new Sonic game to match it. Low performance even on PS5, and Ikaruga experimenting as a boss fight. All the experimentation you could hope for. Rabbids in mario, and Metroid with... well, at least people are finally enjoying the Megaman Zero gameplay loop, becuase THAT was never safe, as shown by the frnachise sales on its home turf.

[@Loner098]

Coincidentally Sonic Rush Advance was my first Sonic game, though I never actually beat it. I guess I liked it because of nostalgia.

[@teemothe3rd937]

this was really well written, i agree w everything lol

[@ZekealllBeroke]

This game helped me get through the existential drain of the loneliness of high school sometimes on the verge of tears

[@neptune301]

I can confirm as somebody who was five when this game came out (though I didn't play it until 2009 when I was seven); I loved playing all the optional missions and griding out chaos emeralds (never realising that you could upgrade the vehicles until years later). I replayed it recently during my time on public transport to university each day and loved it just the same. I really do think that's the way the game was designed to be played-bit by bit over a long period of time. It feels like no matter how much time you have available, there's always something to do. When you're on a 15-minute bus ride, you can explore the seas and discover hidden islands; when you have a break between classes, you can play all those hidden islands you discovered; when you have an hour-long train ride you can try to grind out those chaos emerald races; and when you get home, you can continue the story. All of this extra length and variety is added without compromising the design of the core levels, meaning that if you just want to load up an old save and speedrun some Sonic levels, you don't have to remember what the 'good ones' are like in Colours and Lost World. It's easily one of my favourite games of all time. Also, I've been loving you're videos and can't wait for the one on Black Knight. That was actually my first Sonic game-I know, certainly a weird one-but I thought it was the coolest game in the world at the time, and I still thoroughly enjoy a lot about that game.

[@DrySushi]

I never could get too much into the newer Sonic games past Adventure 2 but it always so nice seeing younger people truly connect with the games I didn't. Sonic transcends time

[@BrandonGiesing]

"I really do think that's the way the game was designed to be played-bit by bit over a long period of time. It feels like no matter how much time you have available, there's always something to do." I mean that's basically the entire point of a handheld game and why nowadays some of the most popular and best selling games on platforms like the Switch are stuff like Dead Cells, Celeste, Mario Odyssey, Hades, Smash, etc. They are devices meant to be played when you only got 15 minutes waiting during a commute, while on the toilet, in-between the few minutes of free time you have where your child isn't yelling, etc. so games where you can quickly bust out a run, play a match, or collect an item are perfect. You don't want to get deep into a story only to have to put it down a minute later.

[@tavieion]

Funny coincidence I got it in 2009 when I was around 7 as well.

[@juiceala]

11:00 for those unaware, the “Ready” text bounces three times (which works as a counter 1, 2, 3) and if you press right exactly on the third bounce (count #1) Sonic will run fast, the timing is very tight but if you pull it off, very satisfying.

[@thaneros]

I remember doing this tech for multiplayer matches.

[@lugiamastero13]

I'm barely learning about this NOW lmao damn it I never knew there was an indicator so I could never get the timing down

[@videogameguy101]

Sonic ALWAYS runs fast

[@elhasgaming]

That music in the background has damn clear samples. They don't seem bitcrushed at all like I would've expected.

[@hammerkirby5243]

I need to go back and beat this game. The level design was the best of the Sonic Rush "Trilogy" on DS imo.

[@Barmeecarba]

I personally see it as a duology

[@teneesh3376]

Adventure is the best case on why pacing is so important to a game. Cause outside of the actual levels drag this game to a crawl

[@Pirate_Knight27]

YES! This is my favorite Sonic game and it is so under rated!

[@onthedre]

@@teneesh3376 so untrue especially if you’re an adult playing this game. It has so much wonder and really feels like you’re sailing the seas. Amazing game.

[@mjc0961]

@@onthedre Sonic isn't supposed to be about sailing the seas. And an adult playing this game is of course going to have problems with the pacing and the game dragging to a crawl. Adults have other things to do in life than play video games, we don't have time for all this obnoxious padding. Like Josh said in the video, that stuff's for children who have nothing else to do.

[@RichardBlaziken]

I’ve never even seen this game be played before, but it looks pretty fun! The boat stuff seems like it may have been directly inspired by Phantom Hourglass’s boat segments in a paired down kind of way which is pretty neat! It’s a shame that Rush didn’t get more games for it because just in watching these reviews I’ve really grown to like their style and the characters that they introduced. Looking forward to the next episode!

[@francoperalta5986]

Yeah, except Phantom Hourglass and this game came out around in the same year, a few months apart.

[@robertlauncher]

Do recommend, it’s my favorite handheld Sonic game

[@rosilinathedragon4382]

Sonic Rush Adventure is in all honesty one of my favourite sonic games ever. I just love the atmosphere of it so much, all the characters are cool and the level design is excellent.

[@teebeemajestee]

You make some of the best critiques on this site I swear. On top of them being almost painfully relatable for a young Sonic fan that became disillusioned with the series and life at the same time. Good shit, man

[@TheBlackShinigami]

The fact we haven’t gotten a sonic rush remaster on switch is disappointing because I think the games would look Amazing in 60fps with HD visuals. Honestly the fact the 3ds didn’t even get enhanced port is kind of surprising now that I think about it

[@kholdkhaos64ray11]

As someone who played this when it came out, I can confirm, I really did dump hours into this. It never really felt like a grind because I was always pulling it out every now and then to do a nice clean run of a fun level. So much so that a good portion of the upgrades never really felt like a hassle because I had stocked so many materials playing levels before realizing I could dump them into things

[@zoruacrossing8726]

Ohh my gosh, this, THIS was the episode of this season I was most hyped for! Sonic Rush Adventure is what I consider to be my most nostalgic Sonic game. I played it even before Sonic Rush, and I've been a little bummed that it's fallen into such obscurity, so seeing you enjoy it so much is a wonderful thing to hear! And, as someone who vividly remembers being a kid and playing this game, I can say that your statement about how a kid would play it is pretty bang on the money. I've heard other reviewers deride this game for it's extra content that's all "meaningless grindy filler", but when I played it as a kid, that was all just more Sonic Rush Adventure to play. More missions to unlock cool stuff, more sea to chart and more hidden islands to discover!

[@NoName-wr2nm]

Finally, someone who loves this game as much as I do

[@teemothe3rd937]

yea exactly it encouraged me to explore and it was super fun to find secret levels. I didn’t find the boat rides too bad as a kid as they were fun mini games between levels and there’s other boats you can unlock/upgrade

[@onthedre]

I find pirates island music melancholic and thoughtful. Still fast and light by the drums, but the main melody is very sad. I love it tbh. Also I didn’t know of Sonic Rush Adventure till I found it inside of a DS on 2008 by a dumpster (the DS also worked so I had 2 DS’s, probably fell out someones pocket) and was in shock cause I didn’t know there was a sequel to rush (which was probably because there is no commercial).

[@LighningSnake64]

This game was my jam! It was one of my "it's 1am and I'm huddled under the covers with my DS" games. I was also blessed to hear that faux-Naganuma soundtrack first, because going back and enjoying the original Rush OST is an absolute treat.

[@SoulDrawn]

"Back in the 1860's, there was Nintendo Hard" ⁰h ⁿ⁰

[@Harrymation-productions]

Choosing between who to play as before a level was a great idea. I wish unleashed did this by having you choose to play as sonic or tails after meeting up with him in the story.

[@GreyWolfLeaderTW]

Boy, big surprise seeing how Sonic Rush Adventure sold so poorly. I got lucky finding a complete copy of Sonic Rush Adventure randomly at a Used Video Game Store many, many years after its release.

[@rex_yaldabaoth]

The point about sales really hit me, because i've always wondered why no one ever talked about it, because I adored it as a kid. I even loved it so much that I had drew an exact copy of the map on a big post-it note so that when I started a new playthrough full playthrough of the game I could use my own map to help me find all the hidden islands again. I don't remember how many replays I did, but it was a lot, I remember sitting with the in game sound test to listen to the music for ages too. This video was a real blast from the past for me honestly, I should replay this game.

[@KatlikeRider]

29:47 sounds like modern fans with colours and Lost world lol. jokes aside glad you have this one another go. just seeing it played brought back so many nice memories.

[@lloydparker]

Great video and game! The minimalist crafting and openness added *a lot* to this game. It felt more like a cohesive world, which is something 2D Sonics struggle to convey with their segmented stages. I remember liking the characters and plot, too. I loved Sonic Adventure on Dreamcast when I was 13, but I was 20 when Sonic 06 came out, and by then I could tell something was wrong 😆

[@shoogles_]

There's something about this competent, charming, relaxing, addictive little game that just makes it fall out my mind like water down a drain. All I remember is having the same experience with Johnny, my pal got concerned with how frustrated I was getting!

[@kalkidaneshete3684]

I really like all the little references you made to Frontiers, intentionally or not, and just how thoughtful your videos are in general. I can’t wait to see your video on Black Knight-it was actually my first Sonic game.

[@GeekCritique]

This whole season was written in the lead-up to Frontiers, so it seemed appropriate to have it kind of hang in the periphery. I'll talk more about that whenever I finally get to Frontiers, haha.

[@loutabu6161]

i'm glad you have weird memories with mario's time machine too

[@benortiz8702]

Honestly this and rush 1 are tied for my favorite sonic games

[@shinysamurott613]

I just rewatched this video as I was finishing this game after revisiting it for the first time in years. It is a shockingly fun time and is honestly becoming one of my favorite sonic games. It's a real shame to see how overlooked it's become.

[@bluebee1277]

I got this game when I was a kid without playing Rush. I got it when I had to get surgery for my mouth. I couldn’t play it when I was waiting to go in the waiting room but I have such fond memories of it. I haven’t played in a long time but loved the vibe and I still do. The music sent me back. Great vid!

[@thelastwindwaker7948]

14:40 Same. That's one of the reasons I was dreading Frontiers when I saw it was doing the big open world type of thing. I imagined Tails would have a workshop somewhere that you'd bring materials to in order to have him make stuff. Glad that wasn't the case, but if it had been like this I wouldn't have minded it. I'd rather get materials from replaying a platformer stage than combing a giant empty map for twigs and bugs.

[@Exellocks]

*SLIGHT CORRECTION* Dimps actually worked on the Wii/PS2 version of Sonic Unleashed before Sonic 4

[@ModernEpicurian]

Geek Critique and Summoning Salt in one day? I have truly been blessed.

[@Insert.Oregano]

3:38 "but when they hit some turbulence" Yeah, that turbulence is pretty lightning-shaped

[@DIASTCartoons]

Rush Adventure was the first ever Nintendo DS game I ever owned. I gave up on the game completely due to the Johnny races.

[@darknight910]

That little reference to Mario's Time Machine gave me an eyebrow raise. Looks like we might have both had that period of "any game _____ is in has to be good!" sorta situation. EDIT: Also, a Sega game with Columns jewels and dolphins? Seems like they were going to slip in a bunch of classic Genesis references into this one!

[@GeekCritique]

Oh yeah. I'm sure everyone of a certain age had that experience of going to the video rental store, seeing a game called MARIO'S TIME MACHINE, and having your mind blown at how awesome that was gonna be. Then you got it home.

[@darknight910]

@@GeekCritique Not gonna lie, I actually did finish "Mario Is Missing" though. I think even to the other gamer kids at school I was the weird one. 😅

[@bookishdelight]

Random aside: around the time of the game's release, I had the opportunity to have a mini-chat with the person who wrote Marine's English-localized dialogue text (on Livejournal, back when THAT was the de facto social media). In the end I certainly couldn't hate _them_ for what they'd done, they'd clearly had a blast writing it all! But it still doesn't mean I have to like _her_. :D No, really, I tried, she's cute, but I couldn't and still can't. Whisker was GOAT tho. I wallow shamelessly in my hypocrisy.

[@jezd2223]

29:04 the fact you made a glitch seem like an emotional visual metaphor

[@odd-eyes6363]

Dude this video took me back in time over 10 years ago I used to spend HOURS playing this game, sharing secrets about the sea map and competing with my friends, we even used to coach each other on the Johnny fights lol. Matter of fact, I only got a DS because I wanted to play this game alongside my buddies. This is one of those games that reminds you how good your childhood actually was, those simpler times were the best! I'm almost scared of picking this game up again after more than a decade, the memories are so nice I'm afraid I may not like it as much as before and ruin it for me.

[@kryst4line]

That Metroid Prime mention was a personal attack... And you're so right. ;-;

[@bananabike279]

Great retrospective! I coincidentinally played Rush Adventure a few weeks ago for the first time and it's way better than I thought it would be. The sailing minigames and material collecting weren't all that bad, it was actually quite fun to discover new islands and getting slightly faster times every time I replayed the stages for materials. Definitely one of my new favourite Sonic games!

[@Unremarkable6969]

Man, the possibilities for this series are endless. We should beWERE the future videos about the HedgeHOG I hope the next ones aren't just a CHIP off the old block Can't wait for you to UNLEASH the Black Knight video.

[@HenryS136]

I had a similar story of trying to beat Johnny, also spent over an hour trying to beat him only to discover I was not supposed to do that yet :(

[@SillyArcade]

Interesting how there are 2 sequels in the sonic franchise you remember nothing of until this season.

[@TGtornadoe]

Is it Christmas already? Two geek critique videos within a week of each other. Waaaay past cool!

[@yourdemiseishere]

Damn seeing this with the full rendering is amazing, i remember this on the DS itself and was crusty.

[@DuoStuff]

That tease at Black Knight at the end feels weirdly meaningful to me in context to where *I* was at the time. Because while it came out at a time where you were rekindling a lost love, Black Knight feels like a bittersweet swansong to me: the last game in the franchise that I truly loved. (Even if I have a bit of a soft spot for Lost World, and Frontiers has me giddy about Sonic in a way I haven't felt since I was a kid.) I can't wait to see your thoughts, especially on the story, which was my favorite part.

[@bogdangojgic7884]

I don't think that not so well reception of previous Sonic games after Sonic leaving Sega hardware is what hurt the sales because Sonic and Secret Rings released the same year and managed to sell 1.2 million copies in a year. Sucks that Sonic Rush Adventure didn't sell all that well. Btw, Great video Josh. I am actually planning to try out Sonic Rush Adventure one day.

[@Y2Kingma]

Sonic Rush Adventure is definitely a very nostalgic Sonic game for me! As a kid I experienced the post-game of SRA in a very similar way to how you theorized people played it back in 2007, enjoying the Emerald grind and upgrading the ships and replaying the levels for materials. Also glad you gave some love to the OST, one of Sonic's most underappreciated tracklist!

[@cookiestar3069]

As a fairly new Sonic fan (thanks to your videos!), I’ve been wanting to play as Blaze ever since I found out about her. And now I learn she’s playable in a game with PIRATES no less! I wish these games were more easily accessible. Great video as always! Love your storytelling and narration.

[@Axel-wo6qu]

I remember being really confused when someone I met mentioned this game when I only knew of sonic rush.

[@rynobehnke8289]

Glad you liked Marine and the boats I know it can kill the joy for a lot of people. Rush Adventure is properly one of my top 3 favorite 2d Sonic games. And together with Riders 1 my go to example for what I like a "lighthearted" and "Comedic" Sonic story to be like. I greatly prefer Rush Adventures over Rush in large part because the constant death pits in Rush made a number of Sonic Rush's stages (especially Altitude limit) near un-enjoyable in how frustrating there were. But also because I just generally prefer the story (Rush treatment of Amy, Knuckles and to a less degree Cream really annoyed me far more than Marine at her worst could ever hope to) And Whisker is such a fan antagonist. From what I know it is intentional that you can beat Johnny 7 without Upgrades as that is the final challenge in Viking cup for the Wave Cyclone. And Marine was a fun new character and I hope we eventually get her again (still annoyed that we go 2 Pirate themed events in recent year one with Prime and the other with the Mobile games yet nether had Marine or Whisker)

[@Shantae1188]

In the case of Prime, I think it is because it MIGHT be related to the Paradox Prism.

[@rynobehnke8289]

@@Shantae1188 Oh I do know why she isn't in Prime logic wise. I still just really want to see my Raccoon Girl again that's all.

[@robertlauncher]

Also the water bike and sub themes are really cool. I believe the kids would say “When the singer says ‘Oh yeah!,’ I felt that

[@dextra_24703]

i have this game, i love this game this was my first DS game on my own DS, I havent finished it until I was 16 at my grandmas house playing it with my cousins watching behind me. It was so much hype me and my cousins had, because we all love sonic

[@pencilneck2871]

I absolutely loved this game when it came out, i even 100% it and im glad to hear that you share a similar opinion. Handheld sonic is something that i personally took for granted for a while, but after having seen many people talk about them again, ive started to respect them more and play them again. Great review as always

[@Crow_Rising]

I guess I can count myself as among the rare few who actually had Rush Adventure back in the day, and I absolutely loved it. It was the very first game I ever had on the DS. Of course, I wasn't really all THAT young, I'd been a gamer since getting a PS1 with Crash Bandicoot 2 back in 2000. I'd played through the entire Sonic Advance series on GBA countless times by the time I had Rush Adventure. But still, Rush Adventure was pushing almost all the right buttons for me. As much as I yearned for a full 3D Sonic game on a handheld device, the game was plenty of fun and I really enjoyed the OST and visuals. Though, I always did think the low poly character models within the main stages looked kinda weird. It would have made more sense to me to just stick to Advance series style sprites for the main levels, but take advantage of the DS's capabilities to enhance them a bit. Then, for the 3D boss stages, they could whip out the 3D models. But whatever, it's a small nitpick. I wasn't a major fan of the backtracking, but it wasn't really a downside for me either. It was only really annoying when playing through the story all over again, and even then it wasn't so bad as to ever make me want to put the game down. The core gameplay itself was just such a blast that I couldn't really complain. My answer to the question of why SEGA insisted on innovating away from what put them on the map to begin with is pretty simple: SEGA knew (at the time) that what the fans think they want is not always what they actually want. Stagnation is the death of any franchise. More of the same old thing without innovation loses its luster and novelty pretty quick, and more and more people will put a pass on new titles that come out because it all starts to feel like buying the same old thing again. Ironically, the very thing that the fanbase likes to rag on as a big criticism point for this point in the franchise's life cycle is actually what I think to be it's largest strength: The gimmicks. Gimmicks set stages apart every bit as much as they set games apart. It can be debated how good of a game Heroes actually is, but there's no denying that it's teams mechanic is outright iconic and was a major selling point. The boost "Gimmick" as it was often described at the time was an incredibly fun and novel concept, only done once before (in it's current form) when Rush Adventure came out. It may be very contrary to the design of the originals from the 90's, but it's not trying to be the originals, nor is it designed around such. Rush Adventure is objective proof that Sonic doesn't have to be defined by his roots. He can visit them from time to time, but they need not be an anchor limiting his growth.

[@strategist9]

Sonic Rush Adventure was definitely something I enjoyed in the moment, but it did struggle with remembering down the line. I can't remember if I actually grinded for all of the black material or not, or if I was even aware of other endings. I really do miss Blaze and all of the potential of exploring her dimension could have brought...maybe someday.

[@fluffcake]

I never knew about this game when I was a kid and I was scraping up a lot of DS games. I would have loved the Rush series

[@NiGHTSnoob]

I love Rush for just getting absolute bull right at the end and not caring how hard it kicks your ass. I don't want a Sonic game to do that every time, but it was cool for one of the Rush games to push you that hard. I love Colors DS for just being really really damn good. Was a bit easy, but Rush counterbalances that. Rush Adventure unfortunately ends up being the one I've played the least because it ends up in the middle of those two. I remember really enjoying it but I haven't played it in a decade. Maybe I should give it another shot soon.

[@tf_lecter]

the ost is so good i cant get over it, i feel like it probably influenced my music tastes having played it growing up lol

[@tonybloodcherry]

25:37 it’s funny how you mention how as a kid you probably would have enjoyed that, because that was actually my case! I didn’t get the DS at launch. In fact, when I got it, Sonic Rush Adventure came out just a few months before. And my parents knew I loved Sonic, so it was my first game for the system, and my only game for a while. And since I got it for Christmas, during the entire Holiday break, I actually took my time with it, exploring the sea, slowly but surely finding hidden islands, and grinding for materials while exploring and doing the missions. And you know what? I loved it! I had so much fun, and it was my favorite DS game for years! I know the target demographic for Sonic games has always been kids, but this is one of the ones that feel like it the most, because you have to be a kid to have the time and patience for this. When you’re in elementary school and don’t have any responsibilities, and not much budget to have a backlog of games, you have all the time in the world to put up with stuff like this. I didn’t even end up having the hard time you had with Jonny, because whenever I’d lose to him 2 or 3 times, I’d just think I’d come back later because I wanted to keep enjoying more of the game, so I reached the end without thinking about him anymore and got the upgrades. So yeah, totally hit the nail on it there! But I’m glad you actually seem to have enjoyed it more than you first playthrough. Because honestly, I think that as a game aimed towards kids and adults alike, on a system like the DS that has way more casual gamers than most systems at the time, Sonic Rush Adventure is a much better game to have on there than the original (to this day I still can’t beat Sonic Rush and I’m 25, so you bet I couldn’t beat it as a kid).

[@yuiotj]

There is a funny little thing about this game that I like because I’m nostalgic for it. The music. Not because I played the game, I have not. But because the song for Machine Labyrinth was used in a funny little flipnote back when Flipnote Hatena was still up and running on the DSi. It was an animation by a creator named Gizmo and it was about “how snow was made” by zooming in on a cloud filled with people that mechanically turn water into snow. It was a pretty funny flipnote, and I have yet to find it again. Ah, how I miss the good old days of the DSi 😆

[@LeafRazorStorm]

4:01 Oh, but how could you forget? "Sonic Generations" DID have a new character. That Sonic from another dimension!

[@bookishdelight]

This is the correct--and plushie-marketable--answer.

[@GeekCritique]

What are you talking about? That wasn't a new character, it was just the first appearance of the *REAL* Sonic in 14 years! :V

[@bookishdelight]

@@GeekCritique pfft :D

[@LeafRazorStorm]

@@GeekCritique (sigh) I tried not to count the Time Eater, I really did.

[@MathewGX]

Sonic Rush Adventure is one of my absolute favorite Sonic games! I'd put it in my top five at least. Granted, it isn't a game I have gone back to recently, but I did play through the whole thing at least twice, including the Super Sonic battle at the end. Good times!

[@henryaggerate9669]

was not expecting that Somecallmejohnny joke lol

[@WyvernDotRed]

This game was my childhood, surprised to find a video about it now as indeed it seems obscure. As you speculated near the end, indeed for a kid the game is that fun to keep playing in the long term. Will probably replay it soon, I actually think I would enjoy it now, more even than I did back then.

[@wolfgod6443]

2:26 First thing that jumped out to me, WAS THAT STICKS THE BADGER? I'm almost disappointed it's not. Also I can't help but be remined of LoZ Phantom Hourglass with those boat mechanics.

[@harmoniouschaos6376]

Sonic Unleashed Wii actually has a similar rank based progression system, probably because it was developed by Dimps around the same time.

[@Millenium-Mige]

When I was in my late teens I found someone on an online auction site selling the Japanese version of this. I bought it, trusting the seller's claim that it'll be in English and lo and behold, it was. One of my favourite games, although I prefer the previous one.

[@dprototype6431]

This game was my childhood and first non-McDonald’s handheld Sonic game I ever owned. Played a ton of it back then and it’s still damn fun to revisit sometimes when I’m just picking the levels from the menus instead of material hunting or sailing. I don’t think the boat sections are bad, I just like the regular zones more. Wait, did Frontiers reuse the same submarine noise from this game?

[@Sammeep02]

Using only a DS from 2009-2021 I played the living heavens out of this game. Couldn't beat Rush, couldn't make it past the first zone of Colors, but was able to beat this one. Weird. It remains a go to even though I've since upgraded to a Switch Lite.

[@Erinaceus87]

Oh, wow. My name's there in the credits. That'll be a thing I gotta get used to. I remember picking up SRA the very weekend it came out back in 2007. Back when the Wii was still virtually impossible to find out in the wild (oh, those were the days. And now you can find Wiis at every corner pawn shop and goodwill store). A buddy and me happened to spot one at the local ShopKo (RIP), and tipped a different friend of mine, a guy who was desperately seeking a Wii, that it was there. But unfortunately by this point we were out of high school and he'd gotten a job and now was living 2 counties over from us, so he asked for us to high tail it to his new diggs, pick him up at work (he didn't and still to this day does not drive), and take him over to that store so that he could purchase it. We did as asked and as a big 'thank you' he bought us dinner plus whatever other (price limited) thing we wanted. I was going to get SRA regardless, but now I could have it on his dime, so that's what I got. Then I spent the whole next week at his new apartment, played SRA while he was working in the day, and enjoyed his brand new Wii right alongside him whenever he came home. Treasure memories like that, kids. They're the ones that stick the best. Unfortunately, once I got home, I straight away misplaced my copy of SRA. Don't know if I left it behind by accident or it slipped underneath something it shouldn't have. But to this day it remains the only Sonic games I've ever 'lost'. And I haven't played it since. SRA also doubles as the last Dimps-original handheld Sonic title. Whatever the reason for its poorer sales, probably to change the downward trend from then on Dimps' games were scaled-down conversions of console Sonic titles, and from what I've seen of it, their follow-up just looks like a retitled Sonic Rush 3. I guess for that reason Sonic Colors DS also one day warrants a retrospective, but I still would much prefer it someone out there (hint-hint) gives a critical eulogy that one other major DS Sonic release, Sonic Chronicles.

[@GeekCritique]

Oh no, did ShopKo die? I remember that being a great store when I visited Iowa one time! And yeah, you can definitely see a big shift happen with DIMPS right after Rush Adventure. They go from making original handheld titles to making Sonic 4 (which was guaranteed to be a sales success on name alone) and ports of main console games (which can ride off of the same marketing budget). They never made anything completely their own again, which is another reason I find so much affection for Rush Adventure - at least they got to fire on all cylinders THIS time!

[@CNightmare072]

Huh… I remember seeing this game growing up, but I don’t remember why I didn’t pick it up. I never owned any Xbox so what could’ve had my attention? OH, huh. Turns out Prime 3 had released a month before this. Pretty sure after Rush 1, I picked up Hunters, got hooked on the multiplayer, & it, convinced me to finish Prime 1… the rest was history… how about that 😅

[@toekneemart5597]

I remember I beat all the bonus islands and Johnny races before I beat the game(no tutorials) and getting that perfect run for every race was just the most satisfying thing to me I never upgraded my vehicles, I never needed to and having that completed save file with no upgrades was like a trophy to me completely unnecessary but it was really fun(the most fun I've had with that game in fact) and I'd do it again(also after having spent all that time with Johnny the plot twist of him working with the bad guys actually surprised me and felt like a betrayal

[@PC2000]

Aside from Adventure , Sonic Rush Adventure is my favorite modern Sonic game. Such a gargantuan shame that it was (and currently can be) played by so few people. A bigger shame is how much of a downward turn Dimps would plummet into after this game. Great review as always, Josh! Glad you finally got to fully experience the majesty of Rush Adventure.

[@randompoet9997]

The game kinda dropped out of my mind, but man I loved this game. I think I got adventure before I got the original and blaze has been my favorite sonic character since. I remember going out of my way to fully reveal the sea chart even after I got all the islands. The characters were fun, the menu areas were charming, and I never really minded the grinding. Honestly I'm half tempted to go back and play it again. I honestly kinda want them to make some kind of remake or sequel to this using the frontiers style of gameplay.

[@ColdGoldLazarus]

If I ever do try to get into Sonic properly, this is going on my shortlist of titles to try out; that sea exploration stuff seems RIGHT up my alley.

[@Burtzman20]

I absolutely love this game much, MUCH more than the first (soundtrack included). I don't usually see anyone else agree that this one's better, so thanks for making me feel validated.

[@al271987]

I haven’t played most of these Sonic games but I still love these videos. Thanks. Looking forward to your eventual Metroid dread breakdown.

[@OnePolishMoFo]

It's probably because I am also an old man but I always manually save my games. Doesn't matter if it auto saved or not. I do it myself. And quit back to title screen too. There's no reason to do this but it makes me feel better.

[@chungus1149]

It is blowing my mind that I had this game. That I 100%'d it. But watching this review, I don't remember a single second of it. Too bad. It actually looks like it was excellent

[@nalicompleteworks]

There's so much this game does right, but Dimps' level design finally not feeling like it actively resents the player for having fun is the big one after four sequential games of sudden death, even if it is a little too boost happy for it. Colors DS having an excuse to dial the speed back down was definitely to its benefit, and then the less said about their 3DS era the better, but for a brief moment in time they were nailing it. But I adore the low stakes vibes, the feeling of having a long chat with a friend you haven't seen in a while, the adventurous spirit of the whole thing. So many games introduce a new land and its array of colorful zones, but so rarely do we ever get such a sense of _place_ out of one, and especially not in a way that helps develop and contextualize an existing character. I want to see more of Blaze in this context so much more than I want to see her glued to Silver.

[@KnTElixar]

I S ranked nearly everything first try on a repeat playthrough as an adult and I had to go back I think twice overall in the whole game, so you can't FULLY avoid at least 1 or 2 backtracks but they're very much not that frequent if you do well enough in the game and also plan your routes.

[@iggyminious]

Sonic Rush Adventure is the first Dimps game that truly impressed me. All the other Sonic games on GBA and DS were too short or too frustrating to leave that much of an impression, so the fact that they managed to fix both those problems in this one game still has me stunned. It would be one thing if the levels and bosses themselves were more polished and fun and that's all the improvement they made, but they managed to both do that and add a ton of solid extra content for a more memorable experience. Seriously, how'd they pull that off?! Good video, and looking forward to the Black Knight video! I genuinely have no idea how that will go down...

[@BlinksAwakening]

And people say we never got a third 'Adventure' game.

[@KingOthius]

HELL YEAHHHH this is the earliest I've ever been to a TGC video, and right after I just binged the whole sonic series analysis too!

[@callmezeldaonemoartime]

Ohhhhhhh you played Rush Adventure, really hope you play Colors DS now, it’s basically Rush 3

[@sapphyreblayze]

As a huge fan of Rush Adventure, I was worried this was going to be a negative review based on the title. Boy, was I glad to be wrong. Rush Adventure is, in my opinion, the single most criminally underrated entry in the entire series, and in this review you picked up on a lot of the reasons why *I* love it so much. A beyond charming low-poly art style, refined boost gameplay (I'll say it... this is the single best boost game in the entire series), great level gimmicks and improved level design, a simple but fun plot and great characterisation, and loads of replay value. It pains me knowing how poorly this game did at retail, because I adore it, and really wish we'd gotten a proper follow-up to it. I hope this video at least brings some more attention to it and convinces more people to play it.

[@NattiNekoMaid]

I honestly think that the reason why sonic rush adventure didn't sell so well was the name. It came off to kid me as an upgraded version of sonic rush. So I only had sonic rush adventure and not rush because like.. I already had the upgraded one... Ok maybe that was just me.

[@Chris-jx4ij]

I actually got this one on accident. I thought I was getting Rush but the person who picked it up bought this instead. I loved it anyway, though I felt it was too grindy back then.

[@SimplyDad]

This prolly my fav 2D sonic game without a doubt

[@dextra_24703]

one thing from the level select you can unlock more levels afterwards so if you get a game over you do not need to redo the drive to the island

[@theminecraft2516]

This game is probably one of the most charming games I have ever played

[@hansgretl1787]

0:12 Oohhh, that sounds exciting! Can't wait for your thoughtful essay on why Sonic Blast is an underrated masterpiece.

[@Paul-lt8le]

While auto saving was common on consoles by 2007, it definitely was not at all common on the DS during that time.

[@h_works2965]

The Rush duology are absolutely some of my favourite Sonic games. They feel like this great middle ground between the series’ rock solid 2D foundation and it’s more stylish and experimental (for better or worse) 3D ones. Plus they let me play as m’girl Blaze. Rush Adventure is still a treat. I love the improvements to the level design. I love the amount of stuff to see and do. I love actually getting to see and explore the Sol Dimension (please let us go back there one day, Sega). I do feel the seafaring and crafting overstays its welcome but I’d be lying if I said hunting for secret islands and Chaos Emeralds didn’t have its charm. And sure, Naganuma’s OST for Rush still takes top billing, but I still like the music here a lot. It’s a little bloated in places but dang if this isn’t a great sequel. It’s funny you talk about not finishing Rush Adventure since, as great as I think this game is, I probably don’t go back to it as much as I do Rush. And I think that’s because of how Rush Adventure is structured. You’re absolutely right that this game is so much more content rich and has tighter level and boss design than its predecessor. But I think the trade off is that it’s a little harder to pick up for a quick replay. Whereas I can fire up Advance semi regularly for a quick replay in a day, Rush Adventure is a game I come back to less frequently, but when I do I take my time going through all it has to offer. It kind of reminds me of Sonic Unleashed in that regard. A bigger, longer Sonic game with a lot of bonus content to sink your teeth into, rather than repeatedly blazing though a short, repayable campaign. But yeah, these games were kind of the last bastions at a time when it was all too easy to dunk on Sonic. Growing up I had friends who fell away from the series as it’s reputation tanked in the 2000s. But even they still played Rush and Rush Adventure and agreed they were great. And they garnered high praise at a time when mainstream reviewers were sparing the mainline no quarter. And honestly? They deserve it. They’ve stood the test of time and remain some of the series’ highlights. A lot of people soured on Dimps given how they dropped the ball so hard on their next project (and that’s gonna be a mess and a half when we get there). But I’ll always remember them fondly as the makers of a pretty good trilogy, who then followed it up with a killer duology that I still love to death (side note, I should probably play Colours DS, huh?)

[@SwordswiperVr]

I personally fell in love with Whisker and Johnny theme song

[@Miss-Alexis]

I for one am quite glad he's covering Black Knight before Sonic 4. I'm curious to hear what he has to say about 4, but MUCH more interested in his opinions on Black Knight

[@theminecraft2516]

Sonic 4: The forgotten Return

[@bookishdelight]

1860s gamer here. "Nintendo Hard" is absolutely the very first generationally-adopted video game copium. I was shocked that this was how we decided to handle our bad-game-design-induced PTSD, but in retrospect, I shouldn't have been. Which is to say: YOU AND I HAD THE EXACT SAME EXPERIENCE WITH JOHNNY WORD FOR WORD AND IT'S WHY I HAVEN'T TOUCHED THIS GAME AGAIN IN 15 YEARS. Well, that, Marine, and the pre-first-credits final boss. For some reason, those were the only things that stuck in my brain about a game that, now that I watch this video, I vaguely remember I otherwise had a great time with. Blizzard Peaks and Sky Babylon _especially._ But those three things, combined with the climate around the franchise at the time... just... _gah._ I mean I'm pretty sure I gave it an 8 or something in the gaming press outlets I worked for at the time, but that was looking at it as objectively as possible. _Sub_jectively... well, I'll put it like this: Rush was the game where I suffered through the level design because the story, special stages, new characters, and final act were just so damn good to me, all the way through the end. Also, the music slapped. Meanwhile, Rush Adventure was the game where I _hated_ the special stages, was mixed on the new characters, and snoozed through the story and final act mostly uninterested--but I can play those levels forever. Also, the music slapped _harder._ Huh. Maybe I should just download a save file. Still, though. If only there were a Rush-styled DS Sonic game that was comprised of nothing but the cool parts... 🤔

[@whochangemyname6977]

Do you mean 1960's gamer?

[@rynobehnke8289]

@@whochangemyname6977 It's in reference to how in this video for dramatic effect he said 1800's rather than 1900's when talking about the eras of gaming.

[@negil]

I always enjoy how your videos work as like a mix between analyzing yourself and analyzing Sonic games

[@NJchest145]

God dang it. Time for Geek Critique to take over my life again for a few weeks