Sonic Colors - Sonic Was Always Good

[@KingKlonoa]

As facetious as this might potentially sound, I think if Colors had a better story, there wouldn't be nearly as many people against it. I have always really enjoyed Colors, and you do a good job explaining why. Every time I have returned to Colors, I have appreciated it more and more. Legitimately might be one of my favorite Sonic games to replay.

[@Pariah6950]

I'm inclined to agree. This being the game that heralded the new era of Sonic storytelling, it feels like it gets "blamed" for why things have been so bad since.

[@blackdot105]

Story be dammed, I'm personal not too keen on the level design.

[@Hyp3rSonic]

​@@blackdot105understandable

[@PepeChadIsDaGoat]

​@@Pariah6950 The story is quite literally Sonic 1's, but expanded upon🤑 Why don't people hate Somic 1? Same ass story

[@moncay3238]

@@PepeChadIsDaGoat most people don’t even like sonic 1 either so what’s your point?

[@chicky720]

I think you're a bit mistaken, you called the collectables "Red rings" when they're actually called Star coins, Red rings are from Mario.

[@miimiiandco]

I thought Star Coins were from the Rush games. In this game, they're Comet Medals.

[@JodFantasy]

I could’ve sworn they were called “Star bits”

[@AccelerateHedge]

I think you got that backward lol

[@casualwiifan]

Aren't they red coins? You know, the things you collect a certain amount of to get a reward?

[@DatHypnoboi]

Actually, you got that mixed up with BattleBlock Theater, they're called gems and yarns in this game. I don't know what the devs were thinking, since everyone would mix up the gems and Chaos Emeralds, pretty stupid of the devs to do

[@Zejgar]

17:14 The best thing about the final boss for me is that if you fight it without utilizing the extra boost hits and without taking damage, the music will spontaneously sync up with the boss and reach its peak on the final hit. It's very cinematic and is not automated to be this way, which I appreciate a lot. You can see it happening in a "[Wii] Sonic Colors - Final Boss and Ending" video by Pikawil64 from 13 years ago.

[@AtJoee230]

It's time folks

[@kiraqueen9982]

Finally…

[@justiceiria869]

22:10 Pariah, i don't know if you know this but sonic colors used sonic 1's initial concept ideas for its level design as inspiration for this game. it makes a lot of sense why you feel that this game feels more like a classic sonic game. classic sonic exits in this game's roots.

[@Pariah6950]

I did not know that. But that totally checks out. The level design does feel very Sonic 1.

[@spimbles]

kinda noticed that in several motifs in the stage design. very cool to know the devs of this game really tried

[@maomax8922]

That explains a lot then.

[@PaperADRiAN]

I never knew, was there some dev interview or something?

[@justiceiria869]

@@PaperADRiAN I remember learning about this information in a video a long time ago but i believe you can find evidence for this in the game's gallery artwork.

[@playbossthebest936]

Sonic colors was always good. EDIT: 26:17 that's not correct. What gives you points for S ranks is mostly the red rings themselves, so the game challenges you to collect all of them in a single run. Color powers are also a factor for score, but they are usually organically inserted into the ideal path for getting all red rings. I suggest you to try to get more S ranks with this knowledge, honestly it made the game 10 times better for me

[@ChloeVFX]

Exactly, I learnt this the hard way. When I was going for S-Ranks for the first time since I started playing this game way back in 2010 just last year, I tried to get S-Ranks without going through and getting any of the red stars, because I didn't think they mattered. Turns out that they matter a whole LOT. (Collecting them was super fun too because I just really enjoy collectathon-style games haha)

[@PepeChadIsDaGoat]

Same, haha😂

[@CanalDoRyu]

I honestly roll my eyes every single time I see a 2000s Sonic fan criticizing Colors for not being "ambitious", that's a literal non-argument much like praising something like Sonic 06 for being ambitious. What good is a game's ambition if it fails to actually live up to that? No one praises Superman 64 for being ambitious for its time trying to be a sandbox game with superpowers in 1999, people just rightfully shit all over it because it's a terrible game.

[@Chillipeffer]

Sonic Forces started this whole thing by being such a pile of nothing shovelware that people found an outlet to shit on it by praising other games that tried and failed because Forces didn't even try.

[@spritvio639]

I just find some of the criticisms weird. Like when people say that the 3D sections in Colors are 3D Hallways. Like that's not every other boost game either. There are some exceptions like Seaside Hill Act 2, but that stage is an outlier.

[@cringlord1920]

​​@@spritvio639Boost games don't just have hallway-like levels and even when they do like Sonic Unleashed or Generations, It's still fun because they put in many things you can do in that level, also the fact that in Sonic Generations and Unleashed, you are going so fast that the hallway like levels become fun and exciting, something like Sonic Unleashed has Sonic dodging obstacles, platforming, and making tight movements and ofc the spectical of the level while Sonic Colors doesn't do that to often, you basically go straight forward with not to much stopping you. I'm not saying the game is bad though. Just kind of a step down from Unleashed when it comes to the levels themselves.

[@Kiezly]

Yeah as a 2000-2009 sonic fan I agree ambition doesn’t matter if the game sucks. Fun matters. Ambition is like motivation it’s a fleeting emotion.

[@castform7]

​@@cringlord1920I kind of subscribed to the idea that ambition was important but after actually thinking about it, the arguements kinda sad. It always goes "yeah sure _______ had a lot of flaws but at least it was trying to be something" when maybe there's a correlation between ambition and games with a good amount of flaws. I could make the most ambitious movie ever, with a 5 hour runtime, multiple plotlines and a bunch of other stuff, but if the movie is terrible with bad characters, several plotholes, things happening for no reason, what do I have left. Ambition doesn't mean anything when the ambitious product you have is riddled with decisions that wouldn't be there if we dialed it back and thought about if we were doing this for the sake of the game or for the sake of "pushing the envelope".

[@alescano3504]

Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 were really well received games too. Mixed reviews started with heroes/shadow and crashed with 06. History class, guys. As Colors saved the franchise after the 06 aftermath, Adventure did the same (if not more) with the Saturn disaster

[@lpfan4491]

Reviews really were not a factor before the "Crash of 06"(The whole 06-Sonic Genesis GBA-Secret Rings event). SA1 and 2 originals on DC failed to save the series because the DC bombed, the lesser rated SADX(yes, despite it kinda sucking) and SA2 Battle did because the GC was a good plattform for sales. And obviously Heroes and Shadow did no real damage on their own despite being rated mediocre, or else they possibly would have pulled out on the expensive anniversary-plans to play safe.(Which tbf, they should have done anyways. That they didn't ruined the thing afterall)

[@alescano3504]

@@lpfan4491 You clearly lack comprehension on what SA1 and SA2 meant for the franchise. Sonic was a diying franchise in the wake of the Dreamcast. S3&K had been the last major game and the Saturn flopped. Sonic wasn't an established IP like it is now, and the risk of dissapareance to get replaced by another series was much higher, as the beggining of the 3D era brought a lot of new platformers of quality to the table. SA1 was the most successful Dreamcast game, pretty much carried the DC. SA2 was a hit on the gamecube and successfully brought Sonic to third party. So, sonic stills exists because of SA1-2 more than Colors. Sorry dude, but you underestimate serious chunks of the franchise history

[@alescano3504]

I don't understand what you mean by 'Heroes and Shadow did no real damage'. We all know those were selling games, again, made posible because the SA1-SA2 saved the franchise from complete oblivion. Also, Secret Rings didn't participate in any 'crash'. It was a really well selling and really well reviewed game at the time

[@alescano3504]

I want to make clear the DC thing. The DC failed to get a significant markertshare, but it would have flopped much harder if it wasn't for SA1 which again, carried the DC and made possible for Sonic to jump to multi platform with SA2. Without SA1 sales there is no multiplatform, no sequel, no franchise, no anything

[@alescano3504]

Also i suggest you hearing other people other than this guy. I respect him and i like his content, but he tends to fall in his interpretations on the franchise history and always doubles down whenever he is wrong

[@seematahir5970]

8:50 This is just blatantly untrue. Unleashed's daytime levels absolutley had gimmicks unique to their countries. The spinning platforms and rockets in Dragon Road, the collapsing ice platforms and toboggan in Cool Edge, the falling barrels in Rooftop Run, the face hazards and rollercoasters of Eggmanland, etc. Maybe you're partially referring to their architecture, like how you described the homogeneity of Rush's levels, but even then its not like Colors fares better than Unleashed in that regard, with its emphasis on blocky platforming.

[@Pariah6950]

Imma be honest. I forgot about all that lol. Unleashed just kinda blurs together when you think back on it. But you're right. Unleashed did have zone gimmicks. Though I would argue a lot are much less substantial than most games. Mazuri has the mud that slows you down. And that's it. Shamar has... falling pillars? Do those even count? Funnily enough, when talking about level shapes, both games do better than the Rush games, and are somewhat similar. Compare Sweet Mountain to Mazuri. The wide turns for drifting, the looping 2D section at the end. Sweet Mountain almost feels like a remix of Mazuri in terms of layout.

[@seematahir5970]

@@Pariah6950 Now that you mention it a lot of the levels in Colors feel like remixes of levels from Unleashed. Aquarium Park has Asian architecture, running on water, and those downward spiraling paths just like Dragon Road. Asteroid Coaster has rollercoaster segments and those blocks that push you off the stage like Eggmanland. And Planet Wisp has a similar drifting/looping 2D section design as Mazuri and Sweet Mountain, particularly Act 4. Might be grasping at straws but theres some similarities there. Oh, and I couldnt find anywhere else to say this, but when the final boss is in its recovery animation (17:30), you can boost into it to score extra hits. And the gimmick of Shamar is the friends we made along the way.

[@Hyp3rSonic]

​@@Pariah6950zone "gimmicks"

[@wiiwheel523]

such an amazing video, it’s so refreshing to have a take on Sonic Colors like this, can’t wait for the video on Generations

[@kendymanette4467]

For me génération is Peak Sonic game

[@devonerichardson2065]

Sonic Colors always held a special place in my heart this was my first Sonic game I've ever played and was my all time favorite sonic game until Frontiers came a long

[@TFSned]

I've heard that Sonic Lost World's engine is actually based of Colours and not Unleashed/Generations. It's a shame that the extremely impressive global illumination and level streaming were left behind. I've also heard that a lot of the people who worked on Unleashed and Generations left the company, like the creator of the Hedgehog engine going to SE to make the Luminous engine. Maybe that's why they haven't even been able to port Unleashed or Generations to new platforms. Of course there are porting teams that could manage that, but Sega always goes with whoever's cheapest which is why we ended up with Sonic Colours Ultimate.

[@Gnidel]

It's both. The gameplay and file formats are more Colors-like than Unleashed-like, but Lost World runs on Hedgehog Engine so global illumination was there. It looked less realistic on purpose.

[@sayak132]

Forces physics is based on lost world right?

[@legoboy7107]

@@sayak132 Correct. They even did "acceleration" in Forces by having the Run Button trigger automatically after going forward a bit, making it not smooth, instead of just doing...normal acceleration.

[@lpfan4491]

@@legoboy7107 That that is basically the downfall of Forces controlwise. Lost world stuff works well in Lost world, not when it is weirdly hackjobbed into boost or classic sonic-gameplay.

[@GMDGeojumper2011-bl8sx]

Yo sonic x shadow gens is much better than colors ultimate ever was 👍

[@BIG_MUNKY]

Spot on. People need to stop acting like five year olds whose parents didn’t get them toy they wanted. It just blinds them to a whole world of great stuff out there…

[@SamLikes2Mash]

I can't tell what's scarier, the fact that we're already at this point in this series, or the fact that there's only been like 6 Sonic games since 2010

[@Pariah6950]

Not true at all. Don't forget the handheld counterpart games.

[@spritvio639]

​@@Pariah6950Are you excited for Lost World 3ds?

[@b0xE_]

​@@spritvio639😭

[@IntrestingYTObserver]

​@@spritvio639 Lost World 3DS is probably my favourite 3D sonic game. Unpopular opinion though (and I see why!)

[@MiniCrew11]

Still waiting for the Sonic X on the leapster review​ @Pariah6950

[@AwshomeHat]

I gotta try DX because I really disliked the padding acts to the point of turning off the game. The specific one that made me stop was in the dessert zone where you had to stand on buttons and wait for an elevator to rise.

[@therandomvideochannel8589]

i hope they do another unleashed styled game in the future though. the speed in that game was unrivalled, it really felt like a 3d extension of the rush games. when you get the muscle memory right, the boost gameplay looks like a cinematic masterpiece

[@Esteban-nk3nm]

Unleashed was one of the few sonic games that had completely original levels adding to its uniqueness in comparison to other Sonic titles. It's a crime Sega decided to first remaster the underwhelming title that tried to be similar to unleashed, but just recycles its levels and is so 2d they might as well said they were trying to make it similar to rush instead day time levels (rush is still better though).

[@therandomvideochannel8589]

​@@Esteban-nk3nm yep, generations struck a good balance between unleashed and colors game design, but nothings come close to unleashed's speed since

[@llamapantz6477]

Probably one of my favorite videos from you! This is my favorite 3D Sonic game because, it is a fun game without any other gameplay styles that hinder the main gameplay from shining and being a fun game from start to end. Keep up the good work!

[@TehJellyLord]

Sonic Colors for me, while not a super remarkable game overall, I find to be a great time. I think the art direction, level themes, and music are all some of the best the series has ever seen. It’s just consistently fun throughout the entire play time, which is not even something the Classic games could accomplish (tho the fun parts of the classics are much more fun than the most fun moments in this game imo). I also just don’t get why people blame this game for the short comings of future titles like Forces and Lost World. Like it’s not Colors’ fault that Sonic Team kept trying to do the Colors thing again and kept making it worse lol.

[@spritvio639]

You can definitely feel the difference between all 3 games. Especially Lost World, the 2D sections in that game genuinely feel disgusting sometimes like Desert Ruins Act 4.

[@TheNoiseRator]

Play the ds port is better lol

[@TehJellyLord]

@@spritvio639 see I’m one of the crazies that does like Lost World personally, purely from a gameplay sense, but I have to agree the 2D sections in that game are just SO SLOOOOOW! And that of course set the trend of slowing down the 2D sections for Forces and Frontiers and I don’t get why they still do it. 2D is more exhilarating when you can go really fast!

[@TehJellyLord]

@@TheNoiseRator I like Colors DS but I personally prefer the Wii game

[@Wig_Girl]

Just did another replay of this game after learning about DX in your last video, and it's always a good time. This game and generations are the only 3d sonic games that reach the same level of replayability that I think classic sonic has.

[@AYTM1200]

True.

[@spimbles]

always liked how the game gets better in terms of level design as you progress. Aquarium Park, Asteroid Coaster and Terminal Velocity are really notable high notes of Colors

[@TheNoiseRator]

Play the ds port its good

[@Wig_Girl]

@creeperthe2670 I have!!!! It was actually the first sonic game I ever beat as a kid in the 2010s. I just haven't played it in a long time because I don't like the way the rush trilogy looks in an the emulator.

[@Esteban-nk3nm]

Be more descriptive next time someone might not no any better and think your talking about the base wii game without emulation and with the wii remote. No casual gamer is trying to play a game they have to go out the way and by more stuff to just make their experience more enjoyable.

[@thajocoth]

The levels themselves are pretty good, but I think Colors would've been improved by having a main park area you could walk through from level to level like the Adventure games did, but they'd already removed that idea for Heroes and Unleashed, so it's not surprising not to have it.

[@kendymanette4467]

A hub World ?

[@thajocoth]

@@kendymanette4467 Yeah

[@traviscunningham7062]

Unleashed has hub worlds.

[@thajocoth]

@@traviscunningham7062 A featureless room with doors to unlock with suns and moons to enter levels is not a hub world in the same way. It's been a long time since I've played it, but I remember that much fairly well.

[@Sydney_Angelyt]

@@thajocothThat was the Wii/PS2 version. The 360/PS3 had fleshed out hub worlds based on the towns.

[@CoolBlued]

Honestly, pariah is amazing at analyzing sonic games and made me realise about a lot of things, he also inspired me to make a fan game just because he said the boss fights sucked, so I imagined a great idea for a boss and I wanted to make it playable Pariah is one of, if not, the best sonic(ish) youtubers, he can just change my opinion on a dime with one video, so thank you pariah for your amazing videos!

[@HeroHashim]

I have 2 questions for the story of Sonic Colors: 1. Are you going to also talk about the story for the DS version as well? 2. Are going to talk about Rise of the Wisps?

[@DaHeis]

Oh crap it's finally here. Thanks Pariah!!

[@_dot_tea2774]

It has been about a year since the last "proper" episode of Sonic Was Always Good (well, if you don't count Free Riders and P-06 which were surprise releases). Really feels like the beginning of a new "season" of sorts after a year-long break. It would be interesting to explore why exactly do some people perceive 3D to be "superior" to 2D (even though it's neither superior nor inferior, both are valid ways of making games) -- not just in context of Sonic, but in context of other game franchises as well. It's a common thing: if some game series was 2D for a long time, the devoted playerbase would demand said franchise to make a jump to 3D, without even knowing for sure what would the gameplay of such a game even be. Kirby has been a 2D action platformer for a long time, yet people asked a lot for a 3D version of said gameplay, even though no one (not even devs themselves) quite knew how would it play out (to be fair, though, it was probably fueled by cancellation of GCN which was supposed to be fully 3D). There is something about 3D that people find appealing or even preferable to 2D -- I assume it has something to do with perceived freedom of movement and exploration that 3D offers in comparison to 2D (key word is perceived -- you can make a very limiting and hallway-ish 3D platformer or a very explorative 2D metroidvania, a specific perspective choice does not limit game design, usually). The "Sonic isn't 3D enough" complaint (which is an unfair complaint and I fully agree with you here) doesn't come from people having issues with the game design of Colors, but instead comes from people just wanting more 3D from Sonic -- in extreme cases extrapolated to disliking 2D stuff for no good reason other than it "taking away what would have been more 3D sections" or because "2D fans are getting all this cool stuff, why aren't we getting anything nice?". Jealousy, in other words. Which I don't *blame* them for it -- if they like what Sonic has to offer in terms of 3D, they have the right to demand more of that gameplay -- but most of the time I feel like those fans also do not have a clear idea of what they actually want from a Sonic game. It, again, comes back to the demand for "ambitiousness" in Sonic games -- people want multiple playable characters, grandiose stories, many different side activities (with different core gameplay, i.e. Chao Garden), open world -- because all of that adds to the perceived "ambition" of any game, not just Sonic (ex. most AAA releases these days). With 2D, arcade-y style of Sonic, people perceive it as something limiting (even though there is nothing inherently limiting to 2D), and thus they want 3D as a plane where the feelings of "ambitiousness" and "freedom of exploration" are more easily achievable. Again, this isn't something inherent to Sonic -- AAA game design is mostly filled with this unfocused kind of "ambition", which sells well but is detrimental to games as a medium in the long run. I also loved the bit about recommending Sonic Colors as just a good video game and not a good *Sonic* video game. There is a problem with certain parts of Sonic community where people judge Sonic games by internal standards of quality, which are severely lowered and forgiving. Thus, when an outsider rightfully doesn't like, for example, Sonic Adventure 2 (even though I consider it to be one of the influential games of my entire life), those Sonic fans can get very defensive, even though the criticisms can be completely fair and justified -- and vice versa, they would try to recommend Sonic games to outsiders only for the latter to dislike those games because they compare poorly to what they've played before. Sonic has been such an inconsistent franchise in terms of quality that it feels like people condition themselves to lower their quality standards to enjoy Sonic, creating a dissonance with non-Sonic players with generally higher standards. This is why I agree with the notion that Sonic should be held up to the same level of standards as other great games (or, heck, even other creative works from other mediums!) -- because then I would be able to safely recommend Sonic games to my non-Sonic-fan friends and it won't be a limiting niche.

[@Whyisthis-t9b]

Ironically lowering standards for Sonic games just because they're Sonic games is disrespecting the series more than anything. Sonic became huge because of fantastic games like Sonic 2 or Sonic Adventure. It's not because people lowered their standards or anything like that. To this day we still get amazing games like Mania or Gens (albeit at a more inconsistent rate) & that's a huge reason why Sonic is still going to this day & why he's still iconic & beloved. Sonic has done & can still do fantastic stuff, lowering our standards for these games is only going to hurt the series.

[@sonic5993]

This is exactly why nobody takes Sonic fans seriously, because their standards for quality are all over the place and only make sense to them. Games that play well and have good mechanics are deemed bad for not living up to the perceived "epicness" fans expect, but they're praise games that are mechanically awful solely because it has some over the top action sequence. I'm not going to judge people's tastes, but it really makes the Sonic fandom look incredibly shallow when all a game needs to be good is just "epicness", quality control be damned.

[@Whyisthis-t9b]

​@@sonic5993Sonic discussion has gotten more shallow ever since the "Sonic can't work in 3D" thing. So many points & opinions just boil down to "game good" or "game bad." The most infuriating part is that this isn't relegated to just Sonic, so many other IPs have this type of discussion tailing behind them too

[@sikosonix901]

I really don't understand why people in our fanbase do this. If the game is not good enough for normal standards, then don't recommend it, that simple. You don't have to recommended every sonic game for them to enjoy the franchise. 2 is enough for every gameplay style. 2 Classic, 2 Advance, 2 Boost, 2 Adventure, and 2 Rush. You don't have to go out of your way to lower your standards. There are plenty of good sonic games, 2D and 3D. Lowering standards are never necessary. You just make the fans, developers, and company look bad.

[@lpfan4491]

The list of Sonic games I can confidently recommend to a nonfan is really small. It's Sonic 3 and...I guess Sonic Advance 1? Like, I cannot even in good faith recommend Generations despite being one of the best in the series because people will want to beat it and most of its bosses are a weakpoint, especially the final boss. In most games, there is always some sort of bs that is a nonissue for a fan but a dealbreaker for everyone else, like how you need to fully charge the homing attack >once< in Lost World to beat it and you get no indication for it. Or how Unleashed/unwiished relies on you being ok with the combat. Or you being fine with either having no cutsceneskip or a buggy version with SA1/DX. Or you having to be fine with the SA2 radar and all that speedrunner's mess if you don't want to install the radar mod, etc.

[@partystar91]

For those who don't have the Wii version of Sonic Colors, or those that play Colors Ultimate/plan on getting it when the Project Re-Rainbow mod releases, the "substantial acts" are as follows, with their original act names in parentheses: TROPICAL RESORT Act 1, Act 2 (Old Act 1) Act 3 (Old Act 2) SWEET MOUNTAIN Act 1, Act 2 (Old Act 1) Act 3, Act 5 (Old Act 2) STARLIGHT CARNIVAL Act 1 (Old Act 1) Act 5 (Old Act 2) PLANET WISP Act 1, Act 4 (Old Act 1) Act 6 (Old Act 2) AQUARIUM PARK Act 1, Act 4 (Old Act 1; my personal fav "Old Act" in the game) Act 6 (Old Act 2) ASTEROID COASTER Act 1, Act 2 (Old Act 1) Act 6 (Old Act 2) Great job on the video btw, I love Colors and feel very validated by hearing good praise/criticism that's well-reasoned!

[@UltimateTS64]

Even as a kid I had mixed feelings on Colors. My first Sonic game was Heroes, then I got Colors on my Wii next since that was the newest Sonic game at the time and I thought it was good, but the over reliance on 2D bothered me back then. Coming from a completely 3D Sonic game, I was disappointed by the amount of 2D in the game and I would replay levels that had 3D sections over and over again just to run in 3D cause it felt so much more fun. Tropical Resort Act 1, Planet Wisp Act 1, and Aquarium Park Act 1 were my favorite levels in the game for this reason. Yeah, they have decently lengthy 2D sections, but they have some of the best 3D sections in the game and feel the most fleshed out as levels.

[@spritvio639]

I see what you're saying, but Aquarium Park Act 4 is peak.

[@elibonham4388]

​@@spritvio639aquarium park act 6 asteroid coaster act 6 star light carnival act 5 and planet wisp act 6 are great too

[@sikosonix901]

Just because it's 2D, doesn't mean it's bad. You don't have to like it, but don't dismiss it all together.

[@UltimateTS64]

@user-mq8mo9zi4q I know that now that I'm older, but I still think the over reliance on 2D when it supposed to be a 3D game was still an odd choice. Also the fact that the 2D doesn't even lend itself well to speed running through a level and is a lot of slower sections is odd too. The game honestly has more in common with Sonic 1 than any other 2D Sonic, and I'm surprised so many people like Colors, but hate Sonic 1.

[@sikosonix901]

@@UltimateTS64 Sonic games past 06 were never marketed or presented as "3D games", and they were not designed to be. They are not meant to be 3D, they are just meant to be games that are not confined to one dimension.

[@daltonrogers3811]

colors doesn’t get the recognition or praise it deserves for saving the franchise. it was the first well received sonic game in years. the fact that people trash it while simultaneously praising unleashed and ‘06 is so sad.

[@JoseGregorioValeroVillarroel]

Yeah, well... Those people can suck an egg.

[@minismallists]

My favorite sonic game fr

[@SaddieMoon]

I am in full agreement that games don’t need to be long or ambitious, they just need to be good.

[@zjzr08]

For some reason I can't fully agree with it for some games, like I would rather want something with a 10.0 score ambition but 7.5 execution than a 7.5 ambition and a 10.0 execution, hehe...playing only to your strengths that it feels you're afraid to push reasonable limits of potential feels unreasonable for me, IMO.

[@SaddieMoon]

@@zjzr08 Yeah, but think about it in his perspective. So many different Sonic games tries to be ambitious that causes their downfall for them. Instead of “I love this game”, it feels like he always has to add an asterisk to it. And in general, it’s just nice to have a good two hour game with a fully realized gameplay style. Instead of a 10-40 hour game (depends if you are 100%ing it) with too many and messy gameplay styles. Especially if your short game is a part of a series full of way too ambitious games.

[@zjzr08]

@silveramyknux241 I mean he already seemingly has this conservative vision for the franchise even after the Genesis games so I don't think it's a retrospective thing IMO. Even when there were questionable stuff in later games, it does enable them - on paper - to learn and carry things that do work. EDIT: In terms of a quick simple game vs. an ambitious but clunky game, I wonder if we can say compare Sonic Mania and Sonic Frontiers with this, as I feel this is the best comparison, although I'm not sure about comparing 2D and 3D Sonic games - Mania is so polished but retreads so many themes and while it did improve from S3AK I don't think it evolved the format enough, while I'd argue Frontiers did for the 3D format to some degree but had moderate issues that can be improved for later games.

[@SaddieMoon]

@@zjzr08 Just from watching his video Colors DS, he would rather have a game with original levels and themes.

[@Hyp3rSonic]

​@@SaddieMoonagree

[@RealBroccoliHour]

Colors’ story isn’t anything amazing, but I always thought the hate was a little exaggerated. Sonic team were generally trying for a more lighthearted and whimsical tone off the heels of the late 2000’s, which fits the theme of the game about Eggman building an interstellar amusement park to trick Sonic and cover up the fact that he’s kidnapping an alien species. It gives off the vibe of something like an episode of Aosth or a classic era adventure, which I always kinda appreciated. The dialogue gets a little idiotic at times yeah, but that’s not really anything new lol. The plots of Sonic games don’t all have to try and take themselves as seriously as possible, or have Sonic giving lectures about life or whatever. It goes both ways, and it seems like a lot of people(2000’s fans) just dismiss Colors off that one aspect alone. Sonic’s characterization specifically isn’t even that bad. They at least do a good job of showing you what Sonic is defined by; his heroic attitude. Yeah he makes dumb jokes, but he backs it up by literally being selfless enough to almost die for Tails and the Wisps.

[@NIMPAK1]

I was WORRIED you were going to rip into this game. Despite its flaws, this game will always have a special place in my heart. In terms of story, as someone who never gave a crap about Sanic lore, I honestly really liked that it was a huge change of pace in terms of stakes and dialogue. Heck, I remember the writing of this game being LOVED back in the day, especially the Eggman intercoms, and only started getting hated in hindsight due to Lost World and Forces. In terms of the game itself. I was never a huge fan of the 3D Boost gameplay and objectively this game probably has the weakest gameplay and level design in that regard. Thankfully, most of the game is 2D platforming.

[@spritvio639]

The Eggman PA announcements, still slap.

[@elibonham4388]

Sonic frontiers is good

[@spimbles]

@@spritvio639 for as much horribly unfunny dialogue there is in Colors, those Eggman PA announcements still get a genuine laugh out of me to this day. really great writing on those lines, its comedic Eggman done well

[@spritvio639]

​@spimbles2373 Ah, cmon man the writing was peak. Remember Baldy Mcnosehair? Lmaooooo Nah, im jk Colors' script was trash.

[@TheNoiseRator]

Play the ds port its actual 2d boost game

[@dumbidiot3415]

I'm surprised you didn't mention the egg shuttle at all, it takes the thing you love about boost management and amplifies it a bunch by letting boost carry over between levels, so you have way more to consider when it comes to where you spend it

[@Pariah6950]

Does boost carry over from level to level in that? Damn. I had no idea.

[@FrankieHeghob1]

CHRISTMAS CAME EARLY

[@TheMaidenAndRedShow]

It's been so long since I watched this series I forgot the main running joke so I was so confused on what you meant by quills

[@thajocoth]

The blue wisp is just the P-Block from Super Mario Bros 3 but repeatable, with wind-up time, and having the risk of dying when you start it up. In SMB3, some levels will have a a P-Block come out of a block like a powerup instead of a mushroom/flower/leaf/coins/whatever. Jumping on it turns all coins into blocks and all blocks into coins in the level, with a music change that helps you know how long it will last for. Blocks that have anything in them will still be solid as coins and act like blocks. This can also reveal hidden blue coins that usually act as a guide towards secrets and activate hidden doorways, but those are rare. It really felt like a weird choice for a Sonic game. I feel like it slows the game down more than any other wisp ability.

[@sikosonix901]

My least favourite wisp. And you describe perfectly why.

[@traviscunningham7062]

It’s also like the Ice Flower from Mario Bros Wii.

[@MoonlightSynergy]

It's finally here....WAIT WHAT!

[@wAABBsif]

Y'know, there's a Generations mod that is attempting to recreate Colors. A demo of Tropical Resort Act 1 and 2 are available, however, Act 1 and 2 were combined into the single act they were originally meant to be, and Act 3 fills the spot of Act 2. It does suck that the wisps don't work yet. I know of a really cool Colors-related project in development, but it's super ambitious so it's best to keep your expectations in check lol

[@jackskirata4819]

Colors was the origin point of a lot of…undesirable behaviors that defined the 2010’s. But it’s a great game. Colors Ultimate baffles me. How do you unfinish a finished game?

[@igirjei3717]

Welcome to sonic the hedgehog

[@Neoniq41]

Sega always finds a way.

[@mysteryperson1958]

"Welcome to Sega! We've been destroying your favorite games since 2004"

[@samuelpierce2.088]

With regards to the thing about 2D vs. 3D… In retrospect, this isn’t a very fair criticism. And I ultimately agree that Sonic Colors is still a good game overall. I think the real issue behind the 2D criticism is that from what I can remember, most of the marketing pushed for Colors prior to release made it *seem* like it was going to be a predominantly 3D game, with the occasional 2D section thrown in either only when deemed absolutely necessary, or just for nostalgia’s sake. When in reality, the game is predominantly 2D , with some 3D gameplay thrown in for the sake of spectacle. Which, actual overall game quality not taken into account, feels kinda dishonest on the part of SEGA/Sonic Team/whoever did the marketing for Colors, and it’s a really big problem that has been a plague on 3D Sonic games ever since. As for my take on Colors…yeah, it’s a perfectly fine Sonic game. Most of my complaints lean more into being nitpicks than actual problems. For example, I feel like a lot of the Wisp powerups - in particular the Rocket, Laser, and Frenzy Wisps - were a bit too one-note for my taste. Feels like they needed a bit more functionality in terms of moves - or at least better integration with the actual level design - to really make them feel like an integral part of the gameplay. Also, yeah. The story was just…not that great. Functional at best, and boring at worst.

[@Pariah6950]

I must strongly disagree... The story of Colors is not functional lol.

[@yehgo2]

12:23 wtf are rings. I'm confused

[@fernandaps2]

I would call it a comeback but you never left us

[@Whyisthis-t9b]

When I first heard of Sonic Colors I lowkey thought it was a coloring book game 💀

[@igirjei3717]

Imagine a whole decade of sonic team trying to milk the "Coloring Book Formula"💀

[@nightlydata2181]

Colors is my 1st ever game or sonic thing in the Franchise. If I hadn't gotten it as a B-day present around the time it came out I wouldn't be here which is either a blessin or a curse(I'm leanin to curse lol). It's still a top 3 sonic game even if unbeknownst to me at the time there were changes made story wise that I wouldn't be fond of for the games after this. I adore this game & I don't have anythin to add to this vid. This was perfect despite bein prob the most simple SWAG vid on a mainline title u've done & u beautifully countered all points against this game who somehow C it as barely to no "better" than forces. edit: I do wanna add tho that "quills" was prob the laziest option u could've so I request uppin ur game, 0/10 for the vid smh

[@Pariah6950]

I did come up with it on the spot whilst recording. Apologies. I'll do better in the future lol.

[@boblon8150]

We are so back

[@JonyPlayz1]

Great video! Finally, someone who has a good opinion of this game. The hate feels so forced honestly, people like Premy should really watch this lol

[@SonicTheCutehog]

Back on to "Game Sonic fans loved at the time and now hate for some reason"

[@Riggatoni456]

23:13 The trick announcer is in sync with when you’re talking about how Super Sonic isn’t as “AMAZING”😂😂

[@bradywoods6293]

Loved this game when it came out, and love it all these years later. Story aside, probrably still a top three sonic game for me. Great video

[@meleeludens]

the fuck is a red ring? do you mean the scout flies??

[@HydraBread]

Overall I agree a lot with your take on this game, it’s a whole lot of good. One valid criticism of the game that I think needs to be said is the double jump sharing with the homing attack, I don’t know if the DX version fixes that, but it’s very very frustrating when you’re trying to do precise platform but randomly some enemy gets homed in on. This happens pretty frequently.

[@fazzeai]

Yeah, I hated that a lot, specially in those places where there are moving platforms with enemies on them.

[@spimbles]

very true, especially in 2D sections

[@murilosampaio1264]

23:15 Really? Feeling funny with that "Amazing" today huh?

[@creativename152]

The switch up for Colours needs to be studied. I think this game is pretty gd. It has way more fun aspects than bad ones like the level design having multiple pathways instead of being a straight line, it utilizes the gimmicks the best in the series, you actually have to earn your S rank, the game looks beautiful for a wii game and we cant forget about the incredible soundtrack. You have a reason to explore the levels and use the wisps to get the red rings. If you're not playing like this you're basically not playing half the game, it's like playing Witcher 3 without doing the side quests.

[@spritvio639]

Well, it happens. Even the Adventure games had a change in reputation. Games like Generations are an outlier.

[@Terminal_Apotos]

Very True, so many people just want to speed through everything and then get mad when that’s not what this game is about (initially at least because if you learn the level design and Wisp Routes, you can Blaze through these levels)

[@tek3576]

People hate the effects it had on the series and the reliance on 2D platforming Instead of 3D. I think people would be more on board if they just make the game all 2D and had more levels

[@creativename152]

​@@tek3576Colours on his own was gd though it wasnt a problem. Blame the directors for making the stories even more corny and forcing the wisps in every game. That's not Colours' fault.

[@wreday720]

My quick two cents no one asked for: 2010 - Classic fans were very vocal and against the current franchise direction. Shadow and 06 were still recent burns to the series and proof to everyone the adventure formula had to go. Colours gave us everything people wanted including no gimmicks, no other characters/playstyles, no complex story. It perfectly hit the sweet spot and was the basic Sonic game that was needed at the time 2023 - Adventure fans grew up and are now very vocal and against the current direction of the franchise. They dont like how the series has changed and Colours was a shift from what got many of them into the series including the stories, lore and characters (that includes me btw, I only came back with Mania and Forces). Classic fans arent really complaining as much anymore, and I think that may be due to Generations and Mania basically giving them what they want. Since Colours is the one that really started this formula (Unleashed did push it in that direction too) it is a very easy target and being blamed for how things are now. Dont believe it deserves it but can understand why this has happened. Frontiers will probably go through the same thing if things dont turn out too well

[@fazzeai]

The main reason I didn't enjoy 2d sections are that, some wisps are like, not really interesting, like that blue box wisp, or that monster one, and I think rocket and green one are also not really good. The only nice ones are yellow one, its less gimmicky. Also I didn't like jumps a lot. Like, most of the time you have to use a double jump, and it doesn't feel that comfortable to use. And the last issue are those elements in the stages, where you have to wait for the platform to do something to progress, and just wait for a bit.

[@spritvio639]

Well, for some of those levels, you can make it better by using the air dash and stomp.

[@fazzeai]

@@spritvio639 Air dash is helpful for the horizontal movement, but my main problem is the vertical one

[@Kelps.mp4]

You see, the issue is not the 2D itself, it's more that the 2D sections still uses the 3D physics, and the 3D physics in this game work mainly on 3D, so platforming becomes not as fun as the 2D Sonic games just because of it. Unleashed and Generations' physics work in 2D because of the more loose controls, and tight controls like Colors aren't really suitable for 2D games. Not saying that I hate Colors or something, I actually think it's a good game.

[@ChaddyFantome]

Oof, my experience with this game is very interesting. I first played Colors basically on release. However, i started with the DS version, which overall found superior. At the time, being a Sonic fan on the internet was basically an excersize in being mocked for liking a "bad series" which was a shock to me as i had come into the internet after having lost access to it for a few years. In that time, my experience with the series had been exclusively the handheld outings such as Rush, Rush Adventure, and Chronicles, as well as any past entries i hadn't finished. So, my experience with the series was positive until getting on the internet. I didn't have a Wii yet, but when we did, i only had Smash Bros for the longest time. We didn't have a PS3, but a relative brought the Unleashed demo on his one time, and i remember enjoying it. The overwelmning attitude online at the time was "Sonic has fallen from grace from the sacred 90s and early 2000s" and "wanting anything out if this series other than a back to basics respectable game that crosses its Is and dots its Ts and doesn't fuck up" and asking for "ambition" made you a pariah (heh), and I am perfectly guilty of engaging in this behavior and bullying people at the time for doing things like asking for SA3, Heroes 2, Shadow 2 etc. When Colors was revealed, I was basically in full damage control for the game. I remember initial reception being kinda mixed to somewhat negatively aprehensive. People made fun of the wisps and said the game looked like a Mario Galaxy rip off, and many even critiqued the sound of the music. I on the other hand was out there saying "hey, it at least looks like Sonic Team is finally listening to the fans and giving em what they asked for by only doing Unleashed Day levels, having the story just be Sonic vs Eggman and saving critters and having a less dark tone". Every aprehensive comment or concern i saw, i attacked because i was just so subsumed in this idea that i as a Sonic fan had a responsibility to make sure morale was up so that Sonic could finally get "his win". Of course, once the game came out, the game reviewed well and all of a suddenly everyone and their mother was stanning the game, and I was along with em (even though i hadn't played the console version yet). Later, my sister would spot a version of the Wii entry and ask if I wanted her to pick it up for me and pass her the money back. She did, and i remember being pretty excited. The internet basically made it a thing in my head the console version was way better than the DS version (an attitude i see a lot with people online in certain spaces about console vs handheld gaming in general) and....while i didn't hate what i played i didn't fall in love with it either. However, i basically gaslit myself onto asserting it was actually amazing, and there was just something wrong with how I was perceiving the experience compared to everyone else. After all, this game got the amazing reviews Sonic finally needed to be respectable again! It HAD to be good and something was just wrong with me. I would later play it as a quick jaunt at a family gathering and had a positive experience. Better than the last time i played it, but i still felt like i was just playing a less impactful experience than anything i had played prior. I would later play the DS version and found i loved it just as much, if not more, than when i played it the first time, with no reservations. Outside of my preference for the DS versions, these are opinions i would keep to myself and even go as far as to convince myself they were wrong. "This was the game that kickstarted Sonic being saved. Sonic needs this. Whatever reservations i have can easily and will likely be adressed in a sequel now that the series reception is better. " And yeah, the series reception WAS better, and i found myself spending more time arguing online about how the series was "saved now" because of how it and Generations got good reviews. I wouldn't actually play Generations for YEARS after the fact as i did not have a PS3, yet i spent hours talking about how amazing it was because of reception mostly. I woulf eventually play Generations and enjoy it enough, but given i had already indulged on all the nostagia factor of it through online interaction, a lot of its spectacle was lost on me by the time I actually played it 😅. I think im one of the few people that doesn't think Generations is the best thing ever, even though i think it's a solid game and a great loveletter to the series for when it came out. So what is my point in saying all this? Well, in recent years as people have becan to reevaluate the reception of Colors in retrospect, I've found myself on a awkward position of agreeing with the majority of complaints but not agreeing thay the game is bad, but also feeling a sort of karmic responsibility to play defense for detractors. I will see people say things like, "Everyone LOVED this game, no exceptions, and had 0 complaints back then!" when i *know* for a fact that isn't true because I spent an unhealthy amount of time online silencing detractors back then, lol. The same complaints then are the same ones now. Heck, I have many of my own I don't think get mentioned enough. So let's get started. I actually am not a big fan of the way Sonic feels to control in this game. In some ways, he feels better than Unleashed, but I find his air control feels pretty bad, and the double jump ends up feeling more like a correction tool for the weird jump physics than an asset. I find the enemy design and placement in this game somehow less interesting than Unleashed, and it's hard for me to explain why. It feels like enemies don't feel as organically part of the level design as they did in past games. I find the return of playable SuperSonic in this game incredibly overated, as the means by which you get him (getting all red rings and doing all the gameland levels) basically requires 100% completion anyway, which given Super Sonic doesn't do enough to be all that compelling to use in this game on his own, makes it feel hollow to me. In the past, playable SuperSonic was fun because of how it could be used to either make the rest of the game easier to plow through or make subsequent playthroughs cathartic with how gamebreaking he feels. But in Colors Wii, it's kinda neither. I see you on the argument of providing a different playstyle without the wisps, but in my experience, it just isn't all that statisfying because the levels were designed with the wisps in mind and simply playing with infinite boost and springs to skip over parts of the game just feels like a lesser overall experience. Things like the act structure has been talked about to death, of course, but what I don't think gets mentioned is the use of the world map in conjunction with wisps being unlocked for past levels. I personally found that the first few levels between the first 2 zones feel kinda lacking without some of the added wisps on your first pass, which was not an issue i had with the DS version. I get the sense the Wii Version was designed with all the wisps in mind moreso than the DS version. I will say I don't think you worded yourself the best in saying that the Wii Version not having enough 3D "isn't a criticism." Certainly, it is a criticism, as the game is advertised and promoted as a 3D entry. I don't think it's the same as a person complaining SA1 is a 3D game instead of 2D. Certainly, i wouldn't say that alone makes Colors BAD, though. I feel similarly with statements you made in this section. I would say the fact the Wisps were explicitly made to replace Sonic's friends is a criticism. Yeah, it was them responding to an attitude at the time, but it was an attitude most people (I assume you included) found ill conceived to begin with. Certainly, though, I wouldn't say that this makes Colors bad because of it. It's more disagreeing with the "politics" behind the decisions that made the game the way it is. That said I feel the Wii version feels like that in a lot of areas where it felt like things were done slapdash or cut for weird reasons, a good deal related to the "politics" around the game such as the absence of any friends to fill up the park even if not playable, but also things thay just feel like unfinished ideas or concepts. A good example is the interactions between the Wisps and the Bosses. This is something very prominently featured in the DS version, but is missed by most players in the Wii, version because of how tacked on and out of the way and inconsistent it is. For example, if you can get the Laser Wisp and use it to enter the hand of the Ferris Wheel robot, you will ride through it like a current and 1-shot it instantly. Most players don't even know this from my experience despite the game being like 11 years old now, but it's a thing. I think the Captain Boss in Sweet Mountain has a similar thing where you can drill into it in a specific scenario, but maybe i dreamed that one up, idk. The game also doesn't incorporate nearly as much of its vidual settings and identity i to thr acrual level design, instead shoving almost all of it in the background. This is in contrast to the DS version where stuff like the orion archer in Starlight carnival is actually part of the level design rather than an easily missed background asset.

[@ChaddyFantome]

This game is also automated beyond belief in ways I don't even understand how it gets away with it. So many sections in the game just take away control on the most intrusive ways possible, and some levels are literally like a full minute of just hard scripted watching sonic run. It's honestly the first time scripting in a Sonic game bothered me, yet it never gets criticized for it and it blows my mind. By contrast, the interaction between the wisps and the bosses is far more integrated into the DS ones, to the point of making them fun bosses even if they aren't exactly hard, simply because the act of engaging with the bosses and its mechanics is compelling. And it was then that it kinda hit me what the disconnect is between people that don't like this game as much vs those that defend it. It's clear to me that a huge amount of people that are critical of it are critical of it because ultimately, they come to Sonic for something more specific than just "a good game." There are countless "good games" out there, but there isn't much of the "Sonic sauce" if you will. There is a contingent of people that seem to view Sonic simply as a series of isolated game mechanics dressed in a visual wrapping made to give those mechanics an appeal which i don't think was really the intention or idea the devs had when designing Sonic or the series personally. This was back in a time where the rules of what a videogame is can be should be and should be expected to do were far less set in stone, and moreso than anything due to the history of legacy media, the idea behind Sonic and by extention most of Sonic Team's output seemed far more interested in creating a world and instilling a vibe and experience for the player to attune to and indulge in. Take NiGHTs, for example. NiGHTs is a game that was created primarily with the goal in mind of creating and instilling in the player the feeling of what it is like to fly around in a dream. Likewise, I believe with Sonic, the idea was to create a game about running full speed while living in the moment with ones sensed on heightened. With this in mind, it's no wonder there is this divide between you and I with things such as the ranking system in SA2 compared to other games. To me, the Ranking system is more than anything a means of encouraging the player to get into the "Sonic mindset" if you will. Rather than seeing the levels as simply a level to complete whickly and efficiently, the ranking system encourages players to see them as playgrounds to look for opportunities for score while maintaining a pace. It's less about the material act of getting the A rank and more about encouraging a certain approach to the game, which, from what I can tell, is precisely why you dont like it. If i had to describe the way you seem to prefer to aproach these games and prefer they be handled, it is more akin to wanting a solid consistent structure that is just loose enough thay you have rules to break within its systems rather than having an open system where the key to enjoyment is intuiting the golden mean through experience and reinforcement. I could go on an interesting tangent about what this implies on a phylosophical level, but I won't bore you with that. Comment is long enough.🤭 Point is, around the time the game started getting more kickback, i had found myself more and more disenchanted with the series despite my insistance in defending the fact it was in the best place it ever was, because my relationship with it became more about protecting and promoting it as simply a brand rather than a piece of media that provided me a unique type of experience I couldn't get anywhere else. I guess I would compare it to a person who prefers making optimal decks within a theme in yugioh rather than simply using an existing optimal deck within yugioh and shuffling some staples around. I find the latter less compelling and more likely to induce choice paralysis rather than provide a sense of drive and expression, if that makes any sense. Now I don't wanna make it seem like i hate the game or think it's the worst thing ever, so lemme toss in things i like about it. I absolutely love the setting of the game, and love its aesthetic. The Interstellar Amusment Part/ Egg Planet Park is one of the nicest settings in the series easily. Aquarium Park is my fave water level in the series, and Aesteroid Coaster is dope as heck. I generally find the wisps fun to use and give this game a nice individuality and personality. At the end of the video, you describe the game as simply a good game and that this is more important than anything. But I'm gonna challenge you on that. Because, in my opinion, simply being a good game isn't particularly compelling a reason to engage with any given game. I genuinely feel a game that provides a compelling experience has more room to stick with you than simply a game that is "good", even if it is rough around the edges, and I imagine its similar for people that prefer games like SA2 over Colors. The act of playing through the game in SA2 is a much more immersive experience than Colors, which feels more like just playing a videogame by comparison. Maybe I'll add something else to this later. Gotta get ready to leave work.

[@ChaddyFantome]

@@Eriko.Christy I probably should, and maybe someday soon I will, but like many of these topics, I'm not capable of addressing them myself as I am. But that can change. But until then, meshing a gear or two against someone like Pariah has been very enthralling. Even when we disagree, I feel like I get something out of the videos. It's like we are on a similar line of thinking about this stuff, and I guess I appreciate that. Colors is a game I find myself critical of and defending depending on whom I speak with and what is being said, and sometimes it feels more like I'm arguing with past versions of myself I suppose. But other times, moreso just the fandom's general propensity to be way too black n' white about how they judge things related to this series. Glad you enjoyed my comments!

[@tek3576]

Bros yapping

[@zjzr08]

I do kinda wonder it's odd that he criticized detractors who had expectations of a 3D Sonic game to Colors when he himself had quite strict expectations of 2D Sonic (including characterization and how its incorporated to gameplay) more than most fans IMO) or even 2D Mario games - if 2D Sonic fans can have certain rules then why 3D Sonic fans can't have theirs, right?

[@ChaddyFantome]

@zjzr08 That was something I noticed but didn't get into given I already had to post two comments just to get my post across. xD, But yeah. I did find it odd he makes a point about people giving Colors flak for the following games not being fair criticism, when he makes the same kind of criticism in his SA2 video about the direction of later games. Idk, seems inconsistent, but those vids were made a long time ago now. Perhaps he sees things differently now or I am missing some nuance. I don't necesarily think the accusation of SA2 was fair regardless, given the next games to come after it are Heroes, the Advance games, and Riders, making ShtH an outlier if anything, but nonetheless. I'm much more of the mindset that I prefer a Sonic game be interesting than simply "good". I feel I'm not alone on that front but I don't expect everyone to share that opinion. I prefer Advance 2 over Advance 1 for this reason. Advance 1 is a solid game, but outside of playing Amy's unique gameplay, I find it kind of bland and would rather just play Sonic3&K a lot of the time. Playing Sonic for me is a lot more about having a standout gameplay experience, rather than having just a game engine to play with, I suppose. Not that I think Pariah merely sees them as game engines to fool around with, but I get the sense it's definitely his priority at least relative to me.

[@charmyzard]

Never considered the platforming minutia before. Maybe Colors was more than day stages all around.

[@THECptTODD]

It's been 12 years and it's finally here 😢😢

[@Sylocat]

I will say in defense of the people who don't care for the 2D focus of Colors: Yeah, 2D Sonic is fun, but we've got loads of 2D Sonic games already, particularly since the barrier of entry for fangames and ROM hacks is much lower in 2D than in 3D. If I want to play 2D Sonic, I've got loads of options (and this wasn't even that much less true in 2010 than it is in 2023), but if I'm in the mood for more Adventure-style gameplay, well, the options are way more limited.

[@penguinlord9984]

Oh yah!! The series is back! I love Sonic colors. Underrated and at least for me Sonic’s moveset is so well crafted for the stages that makes it so much fun to get better and better times on them without it getting old. Love this game. Also instead of calling it Sonic Colors Ultimate, we should call it Sonic Colors “Ultimate”

[@somaricraftbros6283]

Speaking of gameland, i think it's also really cool how you can use wisp combos if you and a second player use the same, or different wisps. They're not too different, and you can just use the wisp button to swap between the two, but it's a cool concept

[@Aktedya1-jt7vw]

You know, as average as the "filler" acts are, I really don't think they slow the game's pacing down as much as people say. The worst offender imo is Sweet Mountain Act 4, and thats what, a minute? Maybe a minute and a half? It's not ideal, but it doesn't make me not want to replay the game... Honestly, I'd say they're more harmless then the mandatory Generations missions which can take up much more of your time

[@backlogpanic]

One of the best features in the game in my opinion is the 'Egg Shuttle'. Being able to just replay the levels & bosses in order up to the end boss, and get a time/score like in a classic Sonic Game should be freaking standard!

[@backlogpanic]

Does anyone know which other 3D Sonic games have this feature? I am *pretty sure* that Unleashed+Wii & Generations don't have a similar feature, just missions? (But I'm no 100% about that)

[@playerxt9517]

wow, thanks man for letting me know about sonic color dx! a few months ago I was discouraged from clearing sonic colors thanks to these "extra" stages that prolong the game, not that they are a problem, but it's my personal taste, and Now with this DX version that only allows you to play the "main" stages, I even got excited again to try to beat this game.

[@Scroteydada]

The whole game is a Sonic game. That's the refreshing simplicity that clicked with people. You can't blame people for being hostile toward the content filler plagueing the other games. It leaves people feeling scammed.

[@gregtom3272]

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES , finally , a re view about sonic colors from you , though i think you should watch game apologist's video about sonic colors "Game Apologist - Sonic Colors (Part 1: Block to Basics)" , starting from the middle point of the video of course , as the first half do not center around game play

[@legoboy7107]

A few of the Gameland stages are actually recreations of Unleashed levels, and then some others are from base Colors, in addition to the Sonic 1 levels.

[@0Yours_Truly0]

Pariah, maybe you should find a mod that adds the perfect homing attack from colors ultimate. It's a very fun addition and gives JUST enough boost to clear a small section. It's one of the few new things that work in colors ultimate I think you should give it a shot

[@StylusShade]

I wouldn't dare say that nobody enjoyed the werehog (I know I sure did). It certainly took a lot of people some time to come around, I'll give you that.

[@Tybis]

I like the werehog to an extent, but the levels just keep on going, and there's only like 4 different enemies you fight.

[@slwoo7432]

The question isn’t if it good or bad,my thing about it is it’s a bad gimmick for a sonic game,it takes away sonics moveset ,and feels nothing like a sonic game

[@superizillian957]

The problem is that they focused on long-ass platforming segments, when they should have spent that time designing harder boss fights and better enemies

[@bigfanofsb653]

I feel like they transitioned from a long game with a bunch of filler to a short game with a bunch of filler. And I'll take okay combat to bad and boring platforming anyday. Also Terminal Velocity and Starlight Carnival act 1 are just bad stages with way to much automation.

[@traviscunningham7062]

I’ll take platforming with gravitational level design( Mario Galaxy), over boring 2D platforming(Sonic Colors)

[@themissingbits6375]

47:36 it’s coming… Though I Will say, and I know you have Said This before, regardless of how… awful the story of Sonic Colors is, I really like the plot and it’s ideas of the story. Y’know, the whole Eggman capturing the Wisps and drains their energy to his own gain and how he has chained all these planets to his amusement park and how it ruins the enviorment feels like the classic games. And I also like that we’re now saving new diffrent things instead of the typical animals, making this story unique compared to the other Sonic stories, While still staying true to the Series (not in the case of how it’s presented). I Think There’s a lot of potential to make This story pretty good… it just that the characters have gotten replaced by Extremely simple versions of themself that aren’t very likeable, with an unfunny comedic tone that causes the characters to not Care about This situation Eggman has done to the Wisps, with some very bad, cringe, & charmless dialouge, and all Those things and many more creates an unpleasent story that has little to no heart or care in the slightest, even for a story that is just made to give context for gameplay… The game itself is awesome, Tho!

[@sethmushambavanhu8391]

Thanks Pariah this video made me find an awesome gameplay loop in colours like you said the fast path is usually the top path but sometimes its better to use a wisp instead and some are on more tricky paths which lead you to red rings and red rings give you basicallya guarranteed S rank so in time attacking colours you technically can 100% I'll try this out later to see if this theory is correct

[@SwordCailburn]

Pariah it is a good video I loved Sonic colors. I all ways thought of the wisp where cool power ups in Colors ,but After Color they can feel underused like in Sonic Lost World, while in Forces they Feel overused.Colors had the right uses of the wisp as power up for my opinion.

[@HNfilms]

I missed these videos.

[@shilze1]

Another note about Game Land is that the layouts are also taken from parts of the main stages and Unleashed and Sonic 2 as well, just like the Cyberspace stages in Frontiers.

[@greenD7244]

I think it'd be interesting if you did the story video as a composite of both the Wii and DS versions, comparing them to each other.

[@spritvio639]

WE MADE IT BOYSSSSS

[@henriquezioto8760]

My main problems with Colors: .How uninspired and simple the level design is. .How the difficult of the game is baby easy. .Many of the levels have huge mindless automated sections where nothing is required of the player. .Many of the levels are very linear with very few alternate path and very little shortcuts or open areas, not all of them are like this, but enough of them are to be a thing holding the game back. .How short many of the levels are, including some of the main levels. .Some of the platforming in the game requires you to wait before being able to procede. .Some of the stages gimmicks are very shitty. .My problem with the wisps is that the moment you activate one of them, you are playing a different game with a different character for its entire duration, and all of them have vastly inferior movesets to Sonic. .Both the wisps activation and deactivation have to stop the player to play a unnecessary animation that harm the flow of the game. .I think the wisps are extremely underwhelming. Laser and Rocket work mostly as keys to access shotcuts with no room for error. Frenzy is mindless gameplay where you just hold foward with no room for error. Hover is very slow and simple when you are just are moving around, but when doing light speed dash it puts you into a slow automation where you wait and do nothing with no room for error. Cube pauses the game for mindless puzzle elements with very little room for error. Moving around as Drill is very simple and uninteresting, it is a tool to access different areas of the level but it was very basic gameplay where you just hold foward and it gets in the way of the real game. Spikes is the best one but still is taking a thing you should be able to do normaly and locking it being an activation animation and it is not so different from running on walls and boosting, its existance is unecessary and could've easily been incorporated into the main moveset. Sonic Colors is a good game, but i still think it is far from amazing. It doesn't have the low lows of Unleashed, but also doesn't have the high highs of Unleashed. Unleashed and Generations Modern Sonic Levels are still much better than Colors. But still, saying Sonic Colors is a horrible or terrible game is a very huge exaggeration. It's not even average, it's good. I agree with you when it comes to the 2d levels of Colors. It is not a problem to have mostly 2d levels or even full 2d levels, as long as they are done well. If the levels are bad, it is not because they are 2d, that's for sure. We all know very well that 2d gameplay can be good, it is a very misplaced criticism.

[@lpfan4491]

The difficulty is not particularly lower than most of the series, at least from the perspective of how in many games the difficulty comes from jank or bad design(Like how 06 is one of the hardest Sonic games I have played, but that largely comes from how it doesn't work)

[@STikER326]

I did a complete 180 on Colors during my second playthrough. Before and after the first playthrough I was in the "Colors is meh/bad" camp, I was judging the game on what it isn't, i.e. it's not as ambitious as the previous games, its gameplay and level design is not like Unleashed, too much 2D, too blocky etc. But on my second playthrough, I approached it with an open mind, and oh wow, Colors is such a great game: fun gameplay, interesting level design, Wisps are intergrated well into the levels, fantastic aesthetics and phenomenal music. The story (writing to be exact, the premise itself is ok) is atrocious, but eh, the game itself is still great.

[@thomased22legoyodagaming]

The Black Knight slander is cruel and unusual. This was my first sonic game ever, and I loved it as a kid. However, it's very flawed in hindsight. Edit: I'm glad I'm not the only one who doesn't take offence with the 2D segments of this game. I'm much more of a 2d guy than a 3d guy when it comes to third person games. And the 3d sections not being insanely prevalent helps keep the spectacle of them in my eyes. Unlike in Generations where they had a whole character dedicated to 2d, and that's where the 2d aught to have stayed.

[@harryenchiladas8826]

Hi, now the point of the story is worse, it's not just that Sega of America hired them and told them "now do what you want." But the company gave them little creative freedom and a Bible as a basis. I mean, Ken and Warren weren't the ones who changed Sonic, it was Sega personally. (although I think they are to blame for making insipid comedy)

[@Virtualnerd101]

23:16 Pariah - "not the most amazing" The game - AMAZING! Perfect timing, lol

[@wAABBsif]

Just realized that I don't think you mentioned the wall jump or the ridiculously high bouncing from enemies. Probably my favorite unique parts of the game.

[@perguto]

32:33 I played both the original Colors and Ultimate, but I've never noticed the frikkin' giant hamburger until now

[@bluecheckmiya]

I remember 2010 and 2011 Sonic fans feeling as though the series was back getting 2 “actual Sonic games” in a row… idk why they deviated from where they were at AGAIN

[@pokemario99]

there will never be a time where i receive what i expect from a pariah video

[@zjzr08]

I think the main criticism is that it was marketed as a 3D Sonic game which means expectations would've probably been close to something like Adventure or Unleashed. Like you who seems to have core issues in how level design in 3D Sonic more than others, some 3D Sonic fans aren't fans of the 2D Sonic game philosophy. Colors not having a good story probably bogged the experience for some. I think while the game by itself is great I do think it had issues that Super Mario 3D World faced - it's great on its own most of the time but it was marketed as a 3D Mario which had certain core expectations that 3D World didn't meet for fans. In that way I think it's unfair to say some detractors which had certain expectations as unfair (Adventure-style length games, stories, and level design) when it's potentially presented as such IMO (like you have certain expectations for Sonic too, like less "wandering" sections, even I assume some Sonic fans like that aspect, too).

[@Kiezly]

Sonic Colors would’ve been a better game if it was made for Xbox 360 and PS3 and have this Wii game be the side game version like Sonic UnWiished. Everything would be better about it. Better graphics, level design, story, everything.

[@Genesis-XE]

Exactly. It was rumoured that Colors was meant to be a Sonic Generations Wii port but then got turned into a full game on its own

[@Kiezly]

@@Genesis-XE damn.. i feel like if it was a Gens wii port then the game would have sold way more copies on wii. way better than Gens 3DS that one sucked.

[@bridge-moonproductions6823]

It’s time my fellas

[@Tybis]

I have to admit, I've been one of those people who vocally dislike Colors Wii, mostly due to those cheap-feeling filler levels and some really obnoxious writing. At the time, I REALLY wanted more 3D Sonic with a story that I could get excited about. In hindsight, Colors was more of a scapegoat to air frustrations about the series over as a fan of the (flawed as hell) "adventure era", which never got a truly great game without caveats. It kind of felt like Sonic Team officially giving up on taking risks, which feels weird to say, but I think that's the best way to phrase how it felt. Looking forward to you finding the fun in Lost World.

[@tjlnintendo]

That last sentence didn’t age well.

[@Tybis]

Wishful thinking.

[@rollbustah]

Colors is still an enjoyable game and the game that unironically got me back into the series. But I do kind of agree with people's sentiments on the level design being a bit bland. Just a year later playing Modern Seaside Hill, I realized that the Unleashed team can put the Colors team to shame when they really try and make good levels with multiple pathways and not just glorified QTE segments.

[@Jdudec367]

is that not the same team or? And the colors team can make some really great stuff too with multiple pathways too.

[@mayoat.y]

This is the perfect video to pull out a cybershell quote: "I don't hate it because it's different, I hate it because it's fucking bad and not fun to play"

[@bluestar5812]

The beginning of the hooba dooba.

[@nothinghere8434]

Ranks that give you an actual tangible in-game reference to how to master the stages? - Nah, score bad, let's ignore it. Speedrunning the stages despite there not being a single mechanic to incentivize it beyond personal whim? - Yes, please! xD Not that I did any research, but I assume this game was marketed primarily as a 3D Sonic game, so 80% of it being 2D could count as misleading marketing. There are also people who simply just want a 3D Sonic game, which this was supposed to be. It's been attempted since Adventure 1, so there is already a well established fan-base. Telling them that their cries for more 3D aren't valid just because 3D was never as good as 2D is kind of a dickmove when they just want this long-standing flavor of Sonic to thrive as well. Consistent quality review as always tho.

[@Pariah6950]

The problem is there's no mastery to S ranks in Colors. Take as long as you want. Meander around. Spam color powers for no reason. Whatever, man. You do you. Just don't try to play this Sonic game like a Sonic game. That doesn't work. And there are mechanics that incentivize speedrunning. First, the level design itself. It's still true to Sonic ideology. And the Egg Shuttle, a literal speedrun mode built into the game. "There are also people who simply just want a 3D Sonic game, which this was supposed to be." Says who? Is that game was supposed to be? I'd say it was supposed to be a mostly 2D game because that's what it is. It's not like the devs didn't know what they were doing.

[@nothinghere8434]

​@@Pariah6950 (sorry for being so long, I wanna be thurough) I haven't been experimenting around with the exact balancing of the ranking system, but there is a time bonus that is important at least for some stages and score gets locked after some time. I agree that the system isn't very solid, like quick-step spamming being encouraged is hilarous. But making myself from red ring to red ring quickly while picking up what I could along the way was pretty nice, all be it a bit shallow. I don't know wtf you did wrong to not get S-ranks playing this way xD The purple wisp also sucks in surrounding rings when big enough btw. Level design isn't a mechanic in the sense I'm talking about. Ranks are the mechanic that initially nudge you towards score runs, and make you discover the score part of level design. Time attack doesn't have anything, although it should, looking at how much you discovered. The reason you started speedrunning wasn't because there was something in-game to nudge you towards it, it's because you are of the strong opinion that Sonic is, and should, always be about speedrunning, so you go for it by default regardless, it's only intrinsic or from outside the game. There is no extrinsic reason to start speedrunning these stages, which I think is a bad way to handle core fucking gameplay. What speed tech you discover in the stages just drives home how they neglected to capitalize on it more. I keep bitching for the ranking system, but ultimately, it also goes nowhere, the game just isn't complete without the player filling in the gaps themselves, but at least score has something to constantly nudge you towards it, even if it's relatively weak. Would have been nice if there were like medals for completion times, which would, along with the score ranks, unlock the special stages instead of the red rings, which are already vital for score anyway, so everything would tie together instead of being a mess of loose ends, which is ironically what the classic games also were. I mean, look at how Spark 3 handled it. The Egg Shuttle includes a total time for all acts, but it also has a total score calculation which takes up the majority of the result screens. Ranks are being shoved in your face all the time, the shuttle is pretty niche and I wouldn't be surprised if some players might not even know it exists, and completion time is only a fraction of THAT. Straight speedrunning feels like an afterthought because of how little it's actively pushed. Weren't people expecting this to be the sequel to the Unleashed day-time stages? Wasn't this marketed as the next 3D Sonic game? Or were they making it clear to everyone that it was going to be practically 2D? I don't know, you tell me. See, I started with Colors, I wasn't a Sonic fan, I didn't mind the overwhelming 2D either, I didn't experience the historical context, I can respect your fresh perspective to accept what you get as long as it's good, but not being able to understand the other sides just seems deliberately ignorant, because I can easily understand both them and you. "But I want more 3D in my 3D Sonic game. I like 3D Sonic and want to see it thrive :(" "Shuddup, what you like is worthless garbage anyway lol xD who cares about potential or liking a longstanding flavor of Sonic lmao" Also "the devs knew what they were doing"? Way to go to suddenly give Sonic Team a lotta credit after roasting them in your video. Personally, I believe it becoming mostly 2D was an unforseen happenstance they had to accept to implement the wisp powers.

[@Itz_Kwame]

It’s been AGES

[@ViltrumiteIsRite99]

Mans really took a year between reviewing Unleashed and Colors. 👺 I wanna beat ‘em up.. in Smash Bros.

[@sonic5993]

The Sonic Colors hate is so overblown, but I can understand where it came from. When the game came out, it made a concerted effort of addressing all of the complaints of the previous games; less characters, simpler story, simpler graphics, etc etc and that royally pissed off the generation that grew up on the Adventure games and while it was mostly drowned out by the praise the game got at the time, by the time of the late 2010's, that generation had grown up and now they were able to express their voices at how "bad" the game was actually because it ruined their childhood or something.

[@matthewisguy7336]

23:13 Pariah..please tell me you meant to time that “Amazing” with your script. Lol I found that very funny

[@sebastianmartinez5963]

Another incredible video dude, I really like the way you give your opinions with solid arguments 👍

[@windchimes8764]

I remember making wisp plushies as a kid and getting a weird look when I asked for one beady eye rather than a pair

[@coolcharles45]

Great video, seeing as you place emphasis on a games ability to do their best thing im curious for a vid on lost world. I think lost world goes hard tbh

[@Howardpower679]

I think the reason people hate colors now is cause of its influence on future sonic games Lost world and forces tried to milk its magic and failed horribly Especially on story and that's why people hate its guts nowadays Yeah it's a good game but the damage it did on future games was worse than its sucess Witch is crazy to think about

[@zjzr08]

Similar to how New Super Mario Bros is praised but its popularity overused its themes and game design for the future games.

[@traviscunningham7062]

At least we got 3D Land and World which were better then any of the New games (other than the DS one).

[@Prime_Legend]

it's not even that, the actual game is just so uninspired. Level design is basic as hell. Doesn't really seem like a sonic game at times, but an indie platformer.